The Haunting
by SwagSammich78
Summary: It had begun. Thirty days was all he had to find the woman he'd known for so long yet knew so little about. The only way he could save her future was to delve into her past. Of course, it's not as easy as it seems. Sequel to "The Locket"! AU? Basically.
1. Rude Awakening

I am such a lying hoebag. I told myself "Oh, I'm going to update my other stories before I put up the sequel" but I couldn't resist. Oh, well. Us lying hoebags can get away with that sort of thing. :P

Anyways, yay! Sequel time! Alright, so for those of you who are coming in late as hell, you can probably read this and not be confused...at least in the beginning. But when you ass start getting all confused in the middle cause you don't know what's going on then I recommend you refer to this story's predecessor. Ain't nobody tell you to try an be smart and skip the first story. lol.. Joking.

Now, this story's going to be different in the sense that it doesn't focus on Jazmine; It's central character is _Huey_. Whoa. Yeah, I usually do it mostly around Jazmine just because it's easier to get her feelings/emotions/character down, but I was like "Nah...I'm going to try getting this confusing mofo!" So if at any point you're all "Huey wouldn't do/say/act like that...Kelsey, wtf is wrong with you?" Then feel free to tell me. I won't get offended. I'm too lazy to get offended.

Um, so yeah, I hope ya'll enjoy it? Hopefully?

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine. Nah._

* * *

Rude Awakening

_April 24, 2016  
Silver Spring, Maryland_

"You's a bitch nigga, forreal."

"Wow. Aren't you such a comfort to have around."

"Ya'll niggas hush! Shoot." Robert Freeman rolled his eyes from his spot in the chair, craning his neck to stare up at the TV. "Always arguing and givin me a headache and ya'll don't even see each other half the time! Bad enough I gotta migraine from how high they got this got damn TV! Who the hell is supposed to sit here and break their neck just to watch a TV?"

"The only crap that's on right now is an unconstructive use of air time anyways," Twenty-two year old Huey Freeman mumbled, glaring at twenty year old Riley Freeman, who was still cackling from the other chair beside his bed. "And what could possibly be funny about this situation?"

"Oh! My b." Riley covered his mouth with his hand. "Just laughin' at how some six foot three motha fucka wit an eighth degree black belt can faint in a Kroger's-"

"I did _not _faint," He snapped, sitting up and quickly whipping his hand out to smack his brother across the side of his head. He nearly fell out his chair, gripping the side of his face and shooting Huey a dirty look. "It was _hot_. I got overheated."

"Nigga, we was in the _freezer_ aisle!"

"Both ya'll need to be shuttin the hell up so I can hear Katie Couric!" Grandad yelled, causing both the Freeman boys to quiet immediately. He folded his arms over his chest. "Know goodness well my old ears are all I got this day an time…can't see no shit. And shoot, Riley's right, boy." He shook his head. "Passing out in the freezer aisle, knockin over hot pocket shelves…can't even expect my eldest grandson to take me grocery shopping without dealing with a bunch of _bullshit_. _Shame on you_, Huey!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Huey started to throw up his hands before realizing that he had a needle sticking out of one arm and it probably wouldn't be the best idea. He stared at his grandfather in disbelief. Was he really getting blamed for randomly losing consciousness?! "How dare I involuntarily pass out into a freezer? What the hell was I thinking?"

Geez. He didn't even know why he tried being _nice _sometimes. It had been a Sunday afternoon, the weather was nice, he knew Grandad would probably need to do some errands and offered to take him. Of course, he'd forgotten that Riley was home before he'd be deployed to Afghanistan in two weeks, which meant he had to deal with him trying to prove how strong he now was after training camp at every opportunity.

At least he'd stopped after the third attempt, when Huey had knocked him down the stairs.

So, by the time he'd gotten to the grocery store with his grandfather and younger brother in tow, he already hadn't been feeling too hot. Especially since his sleeping hadn't been too great for the past few weeks, he'd kept having this weird head and chest pain, and for the first time in his life he was practically living off aspirin to keep recurring fevers down. Grandad and Riley had been arguing over some typical nonsense, he'd gone to get a box of those stupid pepperoni pizza hot pockets that Grandad loved so much out the freezer, and…well, everything had just started spinning.

Before he knew it, he was waking up in a damn hospital bed being greeted with a still bickering family, a pounding headache, and an IV poking out of his arm that only served to make him feel worse. Not that he'd ever admit it but he _hated _needles with a passion. The entire time he'd been awake now the _only _thing he'd thought of (other than the embarrassment of passing out in a grocery store and the increasing urge to put Riley in a hospital bed as well) was the damn thing, just sticking in his vein…

Ugh.

"Knock knock!" A cheerful voice came from the hallway, causing all three of their heads to whip towards the open door where a nurse stood, smiling. Her smile only made him scowl. "And how are you doing, Mr. Freeman?" She winked. "Some fall, huh?"

Great. Now the nurse wanted to act cute. Whatever. He rolled his eyes, sitting up.

"Yeah-" He started before being cut off by Riley's low whistle.

"Damn! You's a fine ass-" Riley started before being abruptly cut off by Robert's scowl.

"Boy!"

Huey ignored them both, glancing back to the nurse. "So, I appreciate the…assistance and all." He held up his IV possessing arm, trying not to think about how the simple needle made his stomach lurch. Pathetic. "I think I'm good to go now. So, if I could just get my discharge papers-"

'_And if you could get this thing out of me now_…'

"Well…about that." The nurse frowned, stepping forward and flipping through a chart. Her brow was knotted. "I'm going to need to take your blood pressure again."

He sighed. "Well, can you at least take this _thing _out of my arm?"

"Stop whinin!" Grandad shook his head as the nurse walked over, setting down the clipboard to retrieve a blood pressure cuff, which she wrapped around his arm underneath the sleeve of his hospital gown and ignoring his protests against the IV. Figured. Behind her, Riley was staring at her butt, his hazel eyes wide and his mouth spread into a huge grin. Huey shook his head, closing his eyes. "Shoot. When I was ya'll age they ain't even _want _to keep any black folk around! Nope!" Huey shook his head. The nurse removed the cuff, dropping her fingers to his wrist to check his pulse, her eyes falling on the clock on the wall above Grandad's head. "They got you in, you could be bleeding out or vomiting or have pencils stickin out yo eye sockets and they'd go "Next!" Woo-wee, you'd better have had a damn bullet wound or a white person held hostage if you wanted some medical care-"

"Then dial some of _them _up and give them my bed." Huey impatiently snatched his arm away as soon as the nurse released it, scowling. "Because I don't need to _be _here-"

"Actually," the nurse interrupted, causing them all to glance towards her. "Your blood pressure is abnormally low." He blinked. "That's most likely why you passed out in the first place." She glanced at another page. "We took it when you got here and it was ninety over fifty four. Normal blood pressure for someone your age would be one twenty over sixty."

"Okay." He shrugged. "It got low. Fine."

"Well…that's the thing." She tapped her chart. "It's _staying _low. I just took it again to re-evaluate and it's at ninety three over fifty five."

"NO!" Everyone's heads whipped towards Grandad, who had his fists clenched and his eyes closed, his head lifted to the ceiling. Their eyes widened in surprise. "Why god, why? Not my grandson! Not my eldest! At least take Riley's bad ass out first-"

"Aye! Dat ain't even right, Grandad!" Riley shouted.

"Grandad. Riley. Shut up." Huey shook his head, glancing towards the nurse again. She gave them all a look as if making sure she wouldn't be interrupted again before going on.

"The thing that really had us worried," She continued, staring at the chart. "Was your pulse rate. Excuse me, _is _your pulse rate." Huey's eyebrows rose. "When you got here it was at forty one. It's at fifty three now, but that's still too low." She paused, as if letting her words sink in, before going on. "The doctor, he called your PCP in DC for your medical records, and apparently your blood pressure's been this low for some months now. He scheduled you an appointment to get blood work done back in January and you didn't show up…?"

Grandad shot Huey a dirty look. He glared back, sighing.

"I had to cancel. It conflicted with…other prescheduled activities-"

"Such as being a gay nigga who scurred of a needle?" Riley supplied, snickering. Huey picked up the TV remote, throwing it at his head. "Ow!"

"Well, if you've had prolonged hypotension, which it's obvious here that you have, it's something you should really consider looking into," The nurse said, giving him a concerned look. "Especially with your pulse rate. It could be an electrolyte imbalance, the beginning stages of Brachycardia, a symptom for some underlying-"

"I appreciate the concern, but what I _really _need to do," Huey cut in abruptly. "Is get the hell out of here." She closed her mouth. "So, whatever you could do to make that happen in say, at least an hour? That would be appreciated more than anything."

She nodded, backing away from the bed and grabbing her chart. "I'll see what I can do." She walked for the hallway, pausing at the doorway and giving him a look. "Just consider getting yourself checked out."

He nodded. She closed the door behind her. As Huey flopped back against the pillows he noticed Robert glaring at him. "_Yes_, Grandad?"

"Boy, what the _hell _is wrong with you?" He snapped. Even Riley didn't have anything smart to say. "That cutie pie nurse is sitting up there telling you there's something wrong with yo black ass and you just gonna ignore it?"

"Grandad, it's nothing." Huey rolled his eyes. "Do you know how many people have low blood pressure? It's as common in some cases as high blood pressure. Most athletes even have lower pulse rates-"

"Nigga, is you sum athlete or is you just a punk bitch too lazy ta look into da shit?" Riley cut in, surprising both Huey and Grandad. He flopped against the back of his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "You sound like dis nigga Jerome who was in mah group back in trainin'. Dis fool was coughin up blood and had chest pains an sum crazy shit, so den he pass out on day on tha course an we like, "Nigga! Get yo ass sum help!" His ass lookin a hot mess, sounded a hot mess, actin like a lil' bitch…you know, kinda like you always do-"

Huey glared.

"-but nah, he all "Naw, nigga! I'm good, son!" Pssh. Yeah, aiight nigga." Riley leaned back, shaking his head. Huey raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know how many times you just used the word nigga?"

"Nigga, did I ask fo a word count?"

"So, what happened to your little comrade?" Grandad asked. Riley threw up his hands.

"Nigga died!" He nodded earnestly as Huey and Grandad both stared at him. "Uh huh. Had one of dem aneurysms in his heart…uh…arooda-"

"Aortas?"

"Uh huh, okay, whatever. _That _thing. Point is, da nigga dead." Riley gestured to him. "But hey. If you wanna be a dumbass an ignore it and hope dat jank go away on its own, dat's fine. Dat's good. It's what's really hood." Riley nodded, sucking his teeth. "But when yo ass realize that if you ain't never been sick no day in yo life before and now you up lyin in tha hospital that something wrong, _maybe _they'll be able ta save yo gay self!"

Huey tilted his head to the side, examining his brother with an unreadable expression. Even Grandad looked impressed.

"When _Riley _starts making sense, then you know it's serious," Grandad pointed out, shaking his head and glancing back at the TV. "Boy, do what you want. Cause if you _do _die then your life insurance will kick in, and that's a pretty penny for me, so-"

"Nuh uh! I want in!" Riley yelled, bolting up and pointing at his granddad. "You betta share wit you only remaining grandson!"

"Hell. No." Grandad shook his head. "Mmm mmm. It'll be like getting my money back all those years for buying all ya'll asses a whole bunch of bullshit! Betta get yo hand out my pocket…did _you _pay for the policy? Ain't think so."

"Dat ain't fair!"

"I'm not even dead yet!" Huey yelled over the both of them. He groaned, rolling his eyes and lifting his head to the ceiling. "Someone get me out of here. _Please_."

"Don't worry." Another medical personnel entered the room, an older man with a white coat on and a frown etched into his face. He was flipping through his own chart before withdrawing a couple of pages, handing them all to Huey along with a pen. "Make sure all the information's right and sign at the bottom."

Riley poked his head over Huey's shoulder as he scanned the page, his own eyebrows lifted. "Nigga, yo birthday ain't no February seventh!"

Huey blinked at him, nodding slowly. "Um…yeah. It is."

Riley scratched his head. "Oh." Huey shook his head and went back to reading. "Well…so? It ain't like you remember _mah _birthday-"

"March twenty-third," He replied nonchalantly, still reading. Riley pouted. After a few moments he started to sign the bottom of the page before frowning and pushing himself up straighter.

"Wait…this says I have to come back?"

The doctor nodded, straightening his glasses. "Since you're so bent on leaving as soon as possible, we can't do the tests we'd wanted to perform while you were here. We want you to make an appointment to see your PCP so we can try to figure out what's wrong. Until _then_-" He pointed to the page. "Get that filled. It's to add more electrolytes to your system, which may up your blood pressure to where it needs to be."

"A prescription fo dat shit?" Riley snorted. "Nigga betta drink sum Gatorade-"

"Fine." Huey signed the page, thrusting it towards the doctor. "Now can someone _get this thing _out my arm so I can leave?"

The doctor nodded, shaking his head and turning on his heel. "The nurse will be back in a few moments," He said, strutting out the door. Huey made a face.

"Right." His voice was weighed down with sarcasm. "Because to do it yourself would have been impossible."

"Alright, boy. You heard him." Grandad pointed at him, his face stern. "You get that stubborn ass into a doctor's office before I break my foot off in your ass."

He sighed. "Okay. Fine."

"I mean it!" He instructed, shaking his finger. "You don't have no health insurance just to let it sit around and go to waste. Shoot, betta use that shit!"

"_Alright_, Grandad."

"You betta heed what I say, boy!"

"I am! Damn." Huey leaned back, closing his eyes. "Anything to get you to _shut up_."

Great. He had that feeling he often got before things were going to get worse.

---

_"Huey."_

He made a face, scrunching his eyes shut even tighter and pulling the pillow over his head.

_"Huey. Wake up."_

What the _hell_? He peeked out from under the pillows to see _11:47 pm _glowing at him from the clock on his nightstand. He'd gotten home from the hospital around eight thirty and was so tired he'd promptly fallen asleep. He'd meant to wake back up and go get some damn Gatorade like Riley had suggested, but apparently the alarm on his phone hadn't went off. He went rummaging around under the covers, feeling for his phone. When he felt the cool surface of his blackberry under his fingertips he grabbed it, holding it up to his face.

Whoops. It had went off after all. He yawned, exiting out the clock and then blinking.

He had a missed call. Two of them, actually. One was from Johansen, Maya (a call he was _glad _he'd missed), the other being from…Dubois, Jazmine. His eyebrows shot up at that one. He checked the time. 11:46 pm.

Wow, he'd _just _missed her. He shook his head, pressing the talk button and holding up the phone to his ear. That was weird. While it wasn't out of the ordinary for them to talk on occasion it still wasn't something that was expected. Usually he called her to ask her some school related question or he emailed her. It wasn't common for them to just call each other for aimless chatter. It was even less common for either of them to call each other after nine pm.

The phone rang five times. On the sixth one, it picked up. He sat up, holding back a yawn.

"Hello?" He asked after a few moments when no one said anything. He blinked when there was an abrupt click from the other end, his screen flashing and showing that the call had been ended. He glared at it.

Whoa. Did she hang up on him?

Nah. She _was _in Miami, so the possibility of the call being dropped was far from impossible. He dialed it again, pressing it up to his ear.

This time, it went straight to voicemail.

_"Hey, it's Jazmine!" _Her voice chirped brightly through the phone. _"I'm not here to answer your call, but if you leave a message-"_

Nope. He ended the call, tossing the phone aside and burying his head back under the pillow. As he shut his eyes again, they suddenly popped open.

Wait. He sat up, glancing around. The only reason he'd even awakened was because he heard someone _calling _him.

That was impossible. He must have imagined it, because last time he checked, he lived alone. And while he did have noisy neighbors on his left who always argued and threw things at each other that smacked the wall, it wasn't as if any of them came into his place. And the only other person who _had _lived with him was now in Japan, and she'd left her key the day she left.

For all he cared, she could have kept it. He'd went out and bought a new lock an hour after her departure, so it wasn't as if it would've been skin off his back.

Seriously though, had he been dreaming when he heard it? He flopped back down, shaking his head and closing his eyes again. He had to have been. There was no other explanation.

He rolled over, almost falling asleep again instantly. It was right as he was beginning to drift off when he heard two more words.

_"Help her."_

_---  
Washington, DC_

Mondays were probably the worst thing invented. Especially _this _Monday.

"Here." Huey looked up from his report and his coffee as a thick manila folder crashed down on his desk, making a heavy thump. He gave his secretary, Denise, a bored look.

"Hello to you, too," He muttered sarcastically, taking a long gulp of coffee and sighing, trying to wake up. He was usually a morning person but he hadn't gone to bed until practically an hour before he had to wake up again, a completely fun experience.

Not.

Denise rolled her eyes. She was a twenty-six year old black girl with a short, choppy layered hair cut and hazel eyes he liked to refer to as the color of mold whenever he was arguing with her to stop screening his calls from his ex-wife, not to put so much damn milk in his coffee since it was bad enough he was drinking it in the first place, and getting defensive over his decision not to dress like a complete tool and instead wear _normal _clothes unlike everyone else in the FBI building did.

What_ever_.

"What's so good about it?" She leaned over his desk, taking it upon herself to pour a cup of coffee for herself. She was lucky he was too tired to yell at her, which was how the other mornings always went. Instead he nodded, holding up his cup.

"Huh. Good point."

"Yeah. Thought so." Smartass. She reached behind her to grab another manila folder off of her chair, tapping it with a perfectly sculpted fingernail before handing it to him. "Congratulations. Your first kidnapping case."

He rolled his eyes, sitting forward and setting down his coffee. "Excellent." He took it from her, dropping it on his desk and leaning back in his chair, resting his socked feet on the edge of his desk. "Thanks." He took another long sip of coffee and, realizing that she wasn't making any effort to bust a move, gave her a look. "You can leave now.

She sat in the chair in front of him, the exact _opposite _of leaving, folding her hands neatly in her lap and smirking. "My ass. That case?" She pointed to it, smirking and running her hands over her pencil skirt. "It's bad. Bad bad. You're going to wish you'd picked another department, or just gotten a part-time job working at the burger shack down the street instead of here." She leaned forward. "That's the case Shelley was on. He broke down. Couldn't do it."

His eyebrows lifted. "Broke down?" He shook his head. "He's a thirty-two year old man who's almost seven feet tall and could probably bench press this building!" He looked back down to the folder. "So, this is the big one that everyone's been talking-"

"Yup."

"So why the hell are they giving it to _me_?" He snorted.

"I don't know." She shrugged lightly. "I guess Mr. Boss Man thinks you can handle it."

He wasn't so sure about that one. Of all his co-workers he was probably the youngest one to be hired with the least experience. Call him ambitious or crazy, but somehow the higher ups had decided that he'd be the perfect candidate for the FBI. He'd only applied for a part time position in linguistics to help get him through grad school after completing his undergrad a year early and wound up becoming an agent after walking in on a meeting looking for the bathroom and being able to tell the panel of fifty people who their killer was after hearing a fraction of the conversation in three seconds. While it was a good thing for him, there were a lot of people pissed about it being that he didn't have the required three years' work experience, he was possibly the _only _part-time agent they had (along with some Swedish girl no one liked, coincidentally named Denise), and his boss, Skyler Thompson, seemed to particularly liked him.

Then again, it may have had something to do with the fact that he was fluent in Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Kiswahili.

Oh, and had two degrees in Physics and African American studies as well as a concentration in Sociology.

Not to mention his physical had been off the charts…

Whatever. Regardless, a kidnapping case? He hadn't even been there a year! _Damn_…

"Well…" He eyed the folder suspiciously, as if it were a time bomb. "At least there's a lot of evidence."

"Um, no." Denise made a face. "That's photos of the victims so far. The ones that were found, anyways." She took a deep breath as he drank some more coffee. "So far there's been six victims, each of them being taken and found dead a month exactly from their day of disappearance. I'd recommend you look at those on an empty stomach," She added, the corners of her mouth turning upwards.

He snorted, opening the folder and glancing at the first folder. "I think I'll be…holy _shit_!"

"Told you." She shrugged as he flipped through each photo, his disgusted face getting worse and worse. "Should I get you a bucket?"

"No…but goddamn! What's this person's _problem_?"

"I don't know." Denise was doing her best not to look at the pictures, pointedly staring out the window behind him. "But they're pretty sure whoever this person is has some serious obsession with the occult. Anyways, whoever is responsible for the deaths of these women kidnapped another one last night. Her information's at the bottom of the pile along with the others…are you sure you don't want a trashcan? You're looking kind of green."

"No, Denise." His voice was filled with sarcasm. "Thanks." He sighed, taking a deep breath and skipping the photos altogether, jumping to the back. "Alright. So, the first girl was Katie Saunders, 28. Disappeared October 24, 2015, found November 24, 2015."

Denise nodded, reaching into her purse and pulling out a nail file.

"Then Angela Ragland, 34, disappeared on November 24, 2015 and was found December 24, 2015, Christmas Eve. That has to have sucked for her family."

"Mmhmm." Denise began filing her nails, her gaze flickering towards a photo on the corner of his desk. "So, when exactly do you plan on taking that old ass picture of you and your _ex-wife_ out that frame?"

"When I feel like it," He muttered, only half listening as he read through the paperwork. "You know, the same answer I give you when you ask me every other day of the week."

"All I'm saying," Denise said with a shrug, examining a hangnail. "Is that when my first husband and I got a divorce I had gotten rid of his shit in a second. I mean, didn't this girl move to Tokyo over a year ago?"

"Did your mother, or father, or the monkeys who raised you tell you it's impolite to stick your nose into other people's business?" He asked snidely. She rolled her eyes.

"So, you're mad."

"Denise, get out." As usual she completely ignored his request, giving the photo a look of disdain. "Robyn Murphy, 23. Disappeared on December 24, 2015, found January 24, 2016. Micah Bruschelli, 40. Disappeared January 24, found February 24."

"Seeing a pattern?"

"What, the fact that he has an obsession with the number twenty-four? Sure." He breezed through the other names. "Alicia True, 29, found March 24, Raven Waters, 31, April 24-" He stopped, his eyes narrowing. Denise looked up.

"She's the one that just disappeared last night," She supplied, as if he didn't already know that. He shook his head, giving the page a look of disbelief. He looked up at Denise, then back down, as if convinced he may be reading it wrong. She sat up, her eyebrow arching.

"Yes?"

"Jazmine Dubois. 21." He looked back up. "I know her."

Denise's jaw dropped. "Nuh uh." She smirked. "Another ex-wife?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not everyone has four ex-husbands like _you _do who are coincidentally found _dead _every year, you goddamn psycho." He sucked his teeth. Denise, as usual, didn't look the slightest bit offended. "We grew up together. She goes to school in Miami. We talk sometimes." He closed the file, pushing it away. "Well, we did." He shook his head. "Wow."

Denise gave him a rare, sympathetic look and reached across his desk, grabbing the phone. "I can get you taken off," She said, pressing a few numbers on the phone and holding it up to her ear. "Knowing one of the victims is enough to get you removed and boss likes you. Just let me call-"

"No." Huey shook his head. "I want to stay on it. It's fine."

Denise gave him a look. "Are you sure?" She held the phone away from her ear. "I mean, this is a big case. One of the biggest ones we have right now. And you're only a part-timer with not even a year experience on him. This is a full-time job. Screw that, an _over-time _job."

"Then I guess I'll have to put in some overtime. So, you can put down the damn phone now. Thanks."

She slowly put the phone back down on the hook, narrowing her eyes towards him.

"You're not going to be impartial with this, you know." She shook her head, crossing her hands over her chest. "You may be good at impersonating a robot, but I've seen cases like this. They always bring out emotion. Always."

"Thanks for the warning."

"I'm _serious_, Freeman." She snorted, pointing towards the photo. "You might think being that you didn't even bat an eyelash when she asked you for a divorce makes you strong, but in reality you'll probably be the first one to crack. This stuff is heavy."

"Okay, then." Huey leaned forward, giving her a sarcastic look. "Thank you so much for the upmost confidence you are showing in me. You are the best. Secretary. Ever." He waved his hand towards her, picking up the file and his coffee again. "You can show yourself out now."

Denise shot him a dirty look, pushing herself out of her chair and slowly walking towards the door, her heels muffled on the carpet. She shot him a look over her shoulder, a playful look in her eyes.

"Get a new damn photo."

He didn't even look up; this was so routine to him. "Get a goddamn life."

She shook her head, smirking as she closed the door behind him. He glanced up, sighing and shaking his head as he took another sip of coffee. This killer, this…_sadist_, had some serious issues. What she had said about him being into occult shit was no lie either; not only had he carved unrecognizable symbols into these women's chest (their very _naked_ chests), but they were always found with a pagan rosary. Maybe their connections were that all the victims were pagan?

No. Jazmine was a catholic. In his eyes one was as bad as the other, but whatever.

The ironic part about this was that he'd always warned her when they were younger, probably over ten years ago, that she was too naïve and trusting with other people. That if she didn't watch her back or learn how to question the motives of others that this sort of thing could happen. After all, she'd walk up to strangers she'd never even met before and strike up a conversation. She'd let said strangers cry on her shoulder over someone's death or go with them to drink hot tea and talk about their past. They'd become good enough friends his senior year of high school that he could call her in Florida to ask her a question about calculus and she'd be genuinely happy to help.

She was a sweet person, sure, but _this _was what happened when you were too sweet.

There was a sudden beeping on the phone and he pressed the intercom button, rolling his eyes. "_What_, Denise?"

"Don't "what, Denise" me," Her loud, irritated voice argued. "You're the one who didn't want me to screen your ex-wife's calls. She's on line two."

Great. This Monday just couldn't get any better.

To tell the truth, Huey had never wanted to get married. Ever. However, after one too many bottles of Hennessey on both of their parts and a night in Vegas courtesy of his best friend, Michael Caesar, he and his girlfriend, Maya Johansen, had awakened on the floor in one of those wedding chapels with Caesar passed out not too far away, the "priest" smoking weed in the corner, and Riley laughing his ass off and taking pictures on his iPhone. It hadn't been _too _bad of an experience. Ha. Instead of filing for divorce as soon as the ninety required days were up they'd simply decided to stick with it and make it work.

The only problem was that where he was too ambitious, too cold, and too disconnected, she was even _more _ambitious, cold, and disconnected. When she'd gotten a job in Tokyo, Japan, he'd refused to move just to appease her. And when she accused him of wanting to hold her back he told her that if she felt that way she could pack her bags and carry her ass. Which, being the woman she was, promptly did…

..After punching him in the face.

She had come _really _close to making him break his no-hitting-women policy; otherwise the only place she would have been moving to would have been a cemetery.

Denise, the women who got married every other year and divorced the year in between had taken an interest to his divorce, which had been much less painful than the black eye Maya had given him as a parting gift. While she had been interested before and he'd explained on _many _occasions that she wasn't interested, she just didn't seem to understand that he didn't want to be her next husband who would be found dead in a year's time. Not only was she an expert on narcotics, but she was way too sneaky for his liking. He enjoyed breathing, thank-you-very-much.

"Freeman!" She screeched, breaking his thoughts. "Do you want me to transfer it or what?"

Huey rolled his eyes. "Tell her I'm not here this time," He said, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "Tell her I'm having a wild escapade in France with my latest mistress."

He heard a snort. "Fine by me." The intercom died again and he sat back, resting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

Denise didn't know him well enough to know that he was _always _impassive. Always. He didn't do bias. He definitely didn't do feelings or emotions or empathy. He did logic. He did facts. And as sorry as he was for Jazmine, as sorry as he was for her family who was no doubt in full panic mode right now, he wasn't going to suddenly change his ways for her. He sighed, spinning around in his chair and staring out into the city.

April twenty-fifth. That meant that if the killer stuck to their schedule, Jazmine would be dead by May twenty-fourth. Well, unless he could stop the guy by then.

Man. What had he gotten himself _into_?

---

"It's bad," Huey's best friend, Michael Caesar, said as they sat tucked in the furthest back table in the public library, the table piled high with books. "Seriously." He saw someone shoot him a dirty look and dropped his voice even lower. "Cindy and I went over her parents' house earlier today? They're devastated, man."

Huey didn't look up from his notebook. "I can imagine. It _is _their only child."

"I know man, but I've never seen anything like it." Caesar shook his head, his own pen tapping against his notebook. "Cindy, she's not much better. You know even though she goes to school here and Jazmine was in Florida that they were still best friends. I swear they'd be on the phone for _hours _at least every other day, if not every day. And we went to Florida for Spring Break, and-"

"I know." Huey shook his head, still writing. "I can't really talk about it, man."

Caesar's brow knotted. "Whoa." He gave him a look. "You're _that _torn up about it, too? I knew you two were friends, but not _that _close of-"

"Not like that." He shook his head again, finally looking up. "I mean, as in I _can't_. I'm not allowed." Caesar gave him another look and he rolled his eyes. "Look, I got put on it, alright? I'm not supposed to talk about it because I'm on the case."

Caesar's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Oh, shit!" He sat up, knocking over a book but making no move to get it off the floor. "Forreal?"

"Ceez, _yes_." He looked around, making a face at his best friend. "So do me a favor and _shut up _about it."

Caesar sighed, going to his own paper. "Fine, man. I'll be cool."

A few seconds passed, the only sound being the scribbling of their pens against paper and the occasional person rummaging through the book shelves. After a few moments, Caesar looked up.

"So, I wonder _why _they took her?"

Huey blinked at him. "Yes. Because I can definitely talk about it _now_. What makes you think anything has changed between a few seconds ago and this moment?"

"Oh, come on, man!" Caesar threw up his hands. "We grew up with her! We were friends! How can you _not _want to talk about it?"

"I don't _want _to get kicked off of it for not being able to keep my mouth shut about it," He shot back. "I'm talking about it to everyone else at work. I'm thinking about it _all _the damn time since I'm the one responsible for finding the creep now. And it sucks. Some random psycho just snatching her off the street? It really does suck." He snorted. "But I can't say anything else, alright?"

Caesar shook his head at him. "You really _do _have the unbiased, impartial thing going on, if that's what you're going for."

He sighed. "Good."

Caesar rolled his eyes. "Well, if you ain't gonna talk about it, _I _will. And you can just listen." He shook his long dreads out of his face, grinning at Huey's scowl. "But yeah, Tom and Sarah's house was _ambushed _by cops and reporters. Sarah couldn't stop crying. Cindy and I had to practically fight a good dozen journalists to get in there. Cause you know ever since Jazmine's dad got on city council and her mom became a senator they've been in the limelight anyways-"

"Caesar." Huey rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "Just do your work."

Caesar shrugged. "Fine. Whatever."

Huey glared down at the page. It wasn't as if he didn't care. He honestly did. In fact, he was pretty angry about it. Who in their right mind would want to hurt _Jazmine _of all people? Doing anything to her would be like slaughtering helpless puppies. You just didn't _do _that sort of thing.

Not to mention, Caesar wasn't the one who saw all the pictures of those other victims. Just the thought of her becoming one of them would be enough to induce vomiting in most people.

He also felt bad for her family. Tom and Sarah, despite being the butt of his many jokes and criticisms (alright…Sarah was a pretty smart white woman, so it was mainly Tom who caught the brunt of it), were perfectly nice people, and Jazmine was their only child. They were lawyers so they'd probably looked all into the East Coast kidnappings by now, and probably felt even worse than he did imagining her ending up like the others before her. Riley…Riley had actually been pretty close to her. Huey suspected he had a crush on her at one point or another but he wasn't one to go around getting in people's business. He probably wasn't feeling much better.

He was angry about it. He was _pissed _about it. But even worse…he felt slightly guilty.

That was because the time of her disappearance was reported when he was at work, getting briefed about what had happened thus far. It had been eleven forty seven pm when she'd vanished, according to her co-workers. Her cell phone had been found in the place she'd been taken from, the back alleyway behind her workplace. The bright pink sidekick had been looked through, the last call she made being shown as eleven forty six pm, exactly one minute before she was kidnapped.

And that call had been to him.

Then again, what could he have done if he _had _answered it? He was in DC. She was in _Florida_. It wasn't as if it would have made a difference. Then again, if she had stayed on the phone then maybe the culprit would have been deterred and went after someone else and he wouldn't feel so pressured to solve this. After all, he was going to have to question her parents, her friends, her co-workers…a bunch of people who were close to her, who were probably complete wrecks about the entire thing. It would be so much easier if it were someone he didn't know.

Maybe Denise was right. Maybe he should give it up. After all he was a _part _timer. He was the youngest person there. He was also the newest.

So…that meant he _shouldn't _give it up. Otherwise, no one would take him seriously. But honestly, what had his boss _seen _in him to make him think he was capable of _doing _this?

"Aye!" Caesar snapped his fingers, causing Huey's eyes to fly up from his paper, interrupting his thoughts. He sighed. "Man, I can't concentrate. I'm gonna head out." He began getting his books and papers together, giving his best friend a look. "You comin? I'm gonna grab some food before I go back to Baltimore."

"Nah." Huey shook his head. "I've got three term papers to finish, two thesis', two take home exams, and two projects. I'm so glad the semester's over next week."

"No kidding." Caesar shook his head. "I don't believe you. You graduated from high school early, you finished your _undergrad _early, you're going to be out of _grad school _early, and I'm trying to just graduate before the summer's out. _And _you have a job?" He snorted. "You're like a damn android."

"Wow. What a beautiful compliment." Huey shook his head.

"Seriously." Caesar shrugged, hoisting his backpack over his shoulders. "If I had all that, I would _die_. Don't you ever feel like it's too much pressure?"

"No."

Caesar eyed him. "No insane urges to just crack?"

Huey gave him a look. "How long have we known each other?" Before Caesar could reply he shook his head. "I don't crack."

Caesar gave him a look before nodding in agreement. "I guess you don't." He turned on his heel before snapping his fingers. "Ah! Don't forget! Birthday party this weekend. And I want. A. Gift."

Huey waved his hand. "Fine."

"I mean it! And I want a _good _gift." Caesar smirked at him. "None of these "books" or a "free lecture on a topic of your choice" passes. I still have a good dozen of them collected."

"_Fine_. Real gift." He went back to his paper. "Whatever."

Caesar shook his head again, walking away. "Don't stay out too late!"

"Sure thing, mom!" Huey shot back, yawning the moment his best friend turned the corner. Damn. He checked his watch, sighing. 9:49 pm.

Schoolwork. Study for finals. Find Jazmine's potential murderer.

This was going to be a _long _night.

* * *

I hope that didn't put _too _many people to sleep. lol.

Thanks for reading! As usual, reviews would be greatly appreciated. :D

-Kelsey


	2. Follow The Leader

Oh, my god. I'm babysitting this freaking little brother of mine (he's 4) and I can barely type this author's note because he's like, assaulting me. He's pulling my hair and shoving at my face and snapping my bra and we're ABOUT to fight if he don't GETTHAFUCKOUT. I'd make this longer but he's hard to type with, i'm already sick, and there's not too much to say besides I really hope this nigga won't OOC. GODDAMMIT JUSTIN LET GO OF MY _HAIR_-

Uh! Thanks to the misses (MzMinni3 and MizzC) for reviewing! As usual, it's appreciated. Ima need for everyone else to get on they level. haha.

Oh, now his grubby little fingers are on my laptop screen. This little fool bout to get it for serious (and I love how he's reading all this aloud)

_Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine. :(_

* * *

Follow The Leader

The next afternoon he walked in to see seven people standing around his desk.

No kidding.

Huey stopped in the doorway, giving the six men and one woman, all dressed in business suits and looking grim, a wary look. He heard the sound of heels clicking loudly on the floor behind him before Denise was stopping beside him.

"Huey!" She panted, lifting a hand and trying to catch her breath. "People…in your office…" She glanced up, her eyes widening. She quickly straightened, adjusting her skirt and clearing her throat. "Ah. You…you're already aware."

"Denise." Huey grit his teeth, jabbing his thumb behind him. "Goodbye."

She tossed him a dirty look but turned around with no verbal complain, gently closing the door behind her. He stepped forward, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Can I help you?"

"Actually, we were hoping so." One of the men was sitting in his chair, spinning around with his fingers laced together. "My name's Earl Winston. I'm the FBI director down in Miami."

Ah.

"This-" He nodded towards the woman, standing beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Is Marigold Smart, an agent from the Violent Crime Apprehension Program." She nodded as well. "That over there is Tommy Reilly, with the Miami police department."

"Hello." He waved. Huey nodded. The other three people he recognized as co-workers, the seventh person being the overseer of his department, Skyler Thompson, who was probably the one person in the room who didn't look like they had a stick up their ass. He leaned against the door again, regarding them with a look. The woman, Marigold, lifted an eyebrow.

"Aren't you wondering why we're here?" She asked, her voice cool but holding an air of curiosity in it. He shrugged.

"I figured you were getting to that."

Skyler smirked. The others exchanged looks before turning back to him.

"Mr…Freeman." Earl Winston settled in the chair, scooting forward. "As you are aware, who we have deemed to be the East Coast killer targeted another young woman two nights ago in Miami, Florida. As we _all _are aware, it is a woman that you have previously known."

Holy shit. Did they think _he _had something to do with it? He started to reply but figured it would be better if he kept his mouth shut for the time being. He deemed that to be the best option when Earl went on.

"Not only were you previously associated with the victim, but you were also the last person she attempted to contact before her disappearance." He gave Huey a look. "Can you tell us why that would be?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Lies!" One of his co-workers shouted, pointing. Everyone gave him an incredulous look. "He did it! _He _kidnapped her!"

Huey blinked at him. "Right. It was such an easy thing to do from _halfway up the east coast-_"

"Owen, please." Skyler shook his head, rolling his bright blue eyes. "If you cannot contain yourself, I will have to ask you to show yourself to the door." Owen slowly lowered his hand, glaring towards the afro wearing man. He glared back. Skyler cleared his throat, causing all eyes to fall on him.

"Now." He folded his hands neatly on his knee, blinking calmly. "As I recall, we are not here to debate Mr. Freeman's involvement in the kidnapping, since we have already established that he had a solid alibi."

He vaguely wondered how they'd done that, but didn't even bother asking. They _were _the FBI, after all.

"Of course." Earl nodded in agreement. "What we _are _here to discuss," He continued plainly. "Is your ability to perform on this case."

Huey opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Skyler holding his hand in the air. He seemed to have influence over everyone else in the room since no one dared interrupt him.

"I have explained to our guests," He said casually. "That you have proven to be capable of handling work such as this due to past performance. Your analytical skills, your keen observation, your ability to catch on to the most minor of-"

"While that _is _a good thing," Owen said, daring to cut him off; Huey's eyebrows rose. "He is not even full time. He is not yet twenty three, the required age to even _be _considered an agent, he-"

"Knows when to speak and when to keep quiet, unlike yourself," Skyler cut in, rolling his eyes. "I suggest you try to refrain from speaking any further."

Otis slowly clamped his mouth shut. His other two co-workers snickered. Earl and Marigold blinked.

"That is what we were getting at," She said, folding her hands in front of her. "The high regard that you have towards Mr. Freeman is a bit questionable, being that he is not even of proper age and has not yet been here for over a year." She looked doubtful. "I don't see what is so special about him that sets him apart from the others."

"Which is your problem. Not mine."

Her eyes narrowed. She set her eyes on Huey, who had spoken.

"Excuse me?"

He pushed off the frame. "Well, excuse _me _for pointing out that you obviously wouldn't be aware of my achievements or accomplishments being that you are in Miami and not _here_," He pointed out casually. "Of course, you could say that you have my records, my files, and any other necessary information, but there really isn't much about someone's thought process or capabilities that can be observed just off a sheet of paper."

She blinked. Earl didn't say anything. Skyler nodded, smirking.

"It is not your…_capabilities _I question," She replied smoothly. "It is more of your relationship with the victim-"

"Then it must be both things you're questioning since not even five minutes ago _he_-" Huey nodded towards Earl. "Said that you _were _here to question my capabilities-"

"He didn't say-"

"The last time I checked, capabilities and "ability to perform" were synonymous," He continued, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "If you're trying to trip me up then you should do a better job."

She blinked, a slow smile spreading along her face. Earl nodded once, then glanced towards Skyler.

"You were correct." He pushed himself to his feet, resting his palms on the edge of the desk. "He'll do." He eyed Huey suspiciously. "That is, if he can keep his wits about him and not let personal emotion influence his behavior."

"Also," Marigold added, folding her arms over her chest. "We are assigning you a partner."

He had to resist from groaning out loud. _Seriously?! _She noticed the look on his face and shrugged.

"Sorry. But you are the _only _agent on record under twenty three. For you to be put on a case as big as this alone could come under scrutiny. Not to mention it will look a lot better on your part since you _are _associated with this woman." She gestured towards Owen. "Mr. Sheldon here will be your partner."

Both Huey and Owen's jaws dropped. "_What_?"

Not only was Owen, at thirty-one years old, probably one of the most egotistic, annoying, ignorant people _in _this place but he was also one of the people who insisted of loudly verbally expressing how annoying it was to have to compete with some "kid in college". Which didn't even make sense due to the fact that they were in different departments; Owen was in the Tactical Support branch of the Critical Incident Response Group while he was in Criminal Investigative Division. They both fell under the same branch, but they didn't even have to see each other most days.

Besides, Huey didn't know what the guy's problem was. He didn't even _ask _to be put there. He wanted to do goddamn linguistics, not play pin-the-crime-on-the-killer on a daily basis.

But nooo. Apparently it was his fault for wanting to advance in life and void himself of the ignorance that plagued the world around him. How _dare _he?

"You can't be serious." Owen shook his head. Huey decided not to interrupt Owen as he made himself look like a foolish white person, choosing to stare out the window instead. Leslie George, a man down the hall, and Kevin Davis, a man from upstairs somewhere, both looked ready to go. He didn't blame them. "Me? Work with _him_?"

"I'm sorry, is it a problem to have to work with others?" Skyler shrugged. Owen clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. Huey snorted.

Idiot.

"Now." Marigold cleared her throat, flipping open a folder. She spread out the documents from it, causing everyone in the room to crowd around the desk. "What we have here is a list of the areas of residence these women were in correspondence to their places of death." She cleared her throat. "It would be made easier on all your parts if you remembered it."

"When do want us to remember it by?" Owen asked. Huey snorted again. He shot him a look. "Oh, excuse me, wonder boy. I didn't know it was such an easy task."

"Actually," Huey replied, shrugging. "It is." Everyone glanced towards him. "Katherine, or better known as Katie, Saunders was living in Hartford, Connecticut before her disappearance, her body being found in Raleigh, North Carolina. Angela Ragland was taken from there and found in Nashville. Robyn Murphy was abducted from there and found in Baltimore, Micah Bruschelli was taken from Balitimore and found back in Harlem, her own place of residence. Then, Alicia True vanished from there to be found in Fairfax County, Virginia, where Raven Waters was taken from there and discovered in Miami, which is where Jazmine Dubois just disappeared from the night before." He blinked at Otis, who was giving him a cold look. "So, yes. It was easy. And something that you, being such a seasonal worker and all, should have known to do before being asked."

"_Burnnnn_," Kevin mumbled under his breath, causing Leslie to snort. Earl's eyebrows lifted. Skyler shrugged.

"Told you he was a keeper."

"Exactly." Marigold ignored everyone, staring at one of the pages. "The only common factor we could find was where the girls were found and taken. The last girl would be abducted from wherever the person before them was murdered. Other than that, there is nothing that connects these women. No age, race, religion, orientation, anything. It's as if he is just taking women by random, yet there's some signs that point to otherwise."

"Such as…?" Owen asked. She flipped another page.

"This." She tapped a symbol that was on the paper. "This heptagon is the symbol that has been carved in every last one of their skin. They've also all been discovered with rosaries. While we originally assumed that the women were dying of blood loss it turns out that it wasn't the case. All of their deaths were from asphyxia brought on by cerebral hypoxia and myocardial infarction as a result to water inhalation."

Owen blinked.

"They. Drowned," Huey said in a slow voice, rolling his eyes. Owen narrowed his own eyes.

"I knew that," He lied.

"What we need to do is find a connection between these women as well as their places of death," Earl said, staring between the two men. "If we can find a connection between the past victims then there's a good chance we'll be able to find this guy before it's too late for the current woman." He eyed them. "Alright?"

They nodded. As Earl and Marigold turned to Skyler, Owen shot Huey a dirty look.

"You think you're so smart," He mumbled. Huey gave him a dark look.

"At least I'm capable of higher level thinking, unlike you seem to be," He mumbled back, not taking his eyes off the others. "Now, shut up and at least _act_ mature before you have us bothlook like dumbasses."

Owen had enough sense to shut his mouth. Huey massaged his temples, sighing.

He could tell that this was the beginning of a not-so-beautiful partnership.

---

He'd just gotten out his second to last class for the evening and had ten minutes before his next one when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, reaching into his black jacket and retrieving the phone, the screen flashing _Johansen, Maya _as if it were having a nice laugh at his expense. He stared at the screen, sighing.

He really didn't feel like acting nice. He had a headache, even _more _homework, and he just wanted to get the next class over with so he could go the hell home and go to sleep. Ha, _not_. With all the work he had to do he'd be lucky if he ever got to sleep again before he turned thirty.

Only, he couldn't go ignoring her forever. He sighed, pressing the talk button and holding the phone up to his ear, resuming his walking.

"Hello?"

"Oh, my god." Maya's voice was filled with a mixture of relief and anger. "I have been trying to get you _forever_. I thought you were dead! I'd heard you were in the hospital-"

"As if you'd care." He stopped, eyeing the phone before pressing it back to his ear. "Wait a minute. How the hell did you know I went to the hospital?"

"Duh." She snorted into his ear. "Robert told me."

Of _course _Grandad would call his ex in Japan to tell her he'd passed out. He'd always loved Maya. "Ah."

"Yeah. Ah." Her tone softened. "How are you feeling?"

"Great. Amazing." He began walking again, holding back a yawn. He was so goddamn _tired _all the time. Maya paused.

"You're lying."

"And you know this how…?"

"Because I can tell." She snorted again. "Don't play me, Freeman. I know you."

"You know how to pluck my nerves." He paused outside the building his class was in, lingering by the steps. "Alright, I was in the hospital. And now I'm not. Thanks for the concern. Goodbye."

"Hold it!" She yelled in his ear, making him flinch. "Have you made a doctor's appointment?"

How was this her _business_? He sighed. "Yes."

No.

She didn't say anything. After a few seconds she sighed as well.

"You haven't done it, have you?"

She knew him too well. "I'm sorry, is it really any of your business?"

"It's not," She admitted softly. "But I worry about you."

"Oh." His voice was laden with sarcasm. "Of _course _you do. About as much as you were worrying about me when you punched me in the face, right?"

He heard her sigh again, a long, drawn out exhale that only served to annoy him more. As if _he _was the one who asked for a divorce. "How many times do I have to apologize for that?"

"Until I care enough to listen to it." He glanced at the phone for the time. Five more minutes. "Look, I've gotta go-"

"Wait." Maya's tone changed to curiosity. "I heard you've got a kidnapping case?"

He closed his eyes, mentally groaning. Grandad sure did have a big ass mouth.

"Yes. Well, I'm _on _one. I have a partner." He had no idea why he was given _her _of all people extra commentary, but whatever. He heard her snicker.

"_You_? Working with a _partner_?" She laughed. "That's ridiculous."

"Almost as ridiculous as me still talking to you." He tapped his foot. "Are you _done _now?"

"No." She paused, as if considering her words. "Actually, I called because I had something to tell you."

"So…why don't you just go ahead with that?"

Maya sighed. "You don't have to be such a…whatever. Okay, I'm coming back home."

Whoa.

Huey slowly lowered the phone away from his ear, staring at it. Had he heard her right? Was he losing his mind? He shook his head in disbelief, holding the phone back up to his ear with reluctance.

"Hello?" She'd obviously thought he hung up. He sighed.

"Yeah. I'm still here."

"Good." She sounded less nervous. He could practically imagine her biting her bottom lip the way she did whenever trying to gather her thoughts, twirling the phone cord around her index finger. Since she was thirteen hours ahead of him that meant it was nine in the morning over there and that she'd just finished running. It was so easy to know her, even when she was on the other side of the planet. "It's for a month. My sister Kat, she's graduating high school early. I got the entire month off."

"Great," He lied, shaking his head. He heard some rustling in the background.

"So, let's say I wanted to see you…would I be able to?"

Two minutes. He started up the steps. "I've gotta go."

"Huey-"

"I'll think about it." When she didn't say anything in response he rolled his eyes. "_Seriously_. Alright?"

She sighed. "Fine. But Huey," She added quickly. "Could you _please _go to a doctor?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are!"

"You're not still afraid of needles, are you?"

"What the hell are you blabbing about? I've never been afraid of them."

He could practically hear her laughing through the phone. "Yeah, okay hun." She snorted. "Good luck with your case."

_'Good luck with your life,' _He thought. Aloud, he said. "Yeah. Good luck with…whatever the hell you're doing over there."

Her voice was flat. "Thanks." She hung up, causing him to scowl at the flashing screen. He was always the one who hung up without wasting time to say bye, yet she always beat him to the punch. Every time.

He shook his head and threw open the door. She had to be kidding. Coming back here? And wanting to see _him _after how they'd ended? Had she lost her mind?

She'd had to in order to think forgiveness came so easily from him. She should have known better.

He stopped to stuff his cell phone in his bookbag to have an excuse for not having it on him in case someone _else _he didn't give a damn about called when a sudden flash of white happened to catch his eye. He lifted his head, blinking down the hallway.

There was some woman standing there, staring at him. At least, he thought so. He glanced around, spotting no one else in the hallway.

Yup. Definitely him.

Her hair was dark, pulled back into a low ponytail with gray streaks. She was wearing a sweater and some jeans. Her eyes were an oddly familiar green…and she was see-through.

What…was _that_?

He rubbed his eyes, blinking. When he looked again, he saw nothing but an empty hallway. His eyes widened.

What the hell had _that _been? Now he was hallucinating? He groaned, continuing to class and trying to gather his thoughts, which was surprisingly difficult. It was as if he couldn't focus. Not to mention, his headache was getting worse…

Alright, so…maybe there _was _something wrong with him.

Even if there was, it couldn't be _that _bad.

Right?

---

Thirty-one year old Owen Sheldon had always had to work for what he had in his life. He'd been raised in the Bronx, smack in the middle of thirteen siblings. Nothing had ever come free for him.

That was why it burned him so much inside that this…little _boy _had gotten their boss's attention by merely walking into the wrong place at the right time. How was that even possible? If he wasn't smart enough to find a restroom then how could he be trusted to find a serial killer?

He checked the clock on the wall of the office, his eyes narrowed. Eleven fifty nine. Well. No matter how smart the guy was, he obviously wouldn't be all that punctual…his eyebrows shot up as he heard muffled footsteps approaching from further down the hallway, and then said guy was actually coming through the doorway, a jumbo cup of herbal tea in one hand and a thick file in the other. Owen glanced at the clock.

Midnight on the dot.

"Well. I see you made it." The corners of his mouth turned upwards as Huey Freeman dropped the file on the desk, pulling back a chair and flopping down in it, taking a huge swallow of his beverage before replying.

"Whatever." He sat up, setting the cup down. "And may I ask why you thought it would be necessary to meet at _midnight_?"

"Because, Freeman." Owen gave him a dirty look. "I am not going to do all the work and let you ride my ass while you're off being a _part time_ worker."

Huey made a face. "You do realize that expression you used…it sounded really gay, right?"

Owen couldn't help but snort. "Give me a break. It's midnight. My insults aren't exactly on par to your always sharp wit."

"At least you seem to realize what you're dealing with, _finally_." His eyes narrowed. "We're not here to be at each other's throats, so just get to the point."

"Fine." Owen folded his hands on his desk, surveying the man in front of him. His eyes were alert as ever, but he looked tired. Not unusual, being that it was late. Somehow though, it was a bit gratifying knowing that he himself didn't have to come into the office until two and that Freeman had to come in at six. "Of course, we've already established that there's no actual correlation between any of these women."

"Of course." Huey leaned forward to retrieve his cup, leaning back in his seat and taking a long sip, closing his eyes. Owen leaned forward.

"So. We've got to find one."

Huey lowered the cup, cracking an eye open.

"Obviously." He let his eye close again. Owen glared.

"You do that a lot, you know." His glare only increased when Huey, instead of opening his eyes and acknowledging that he was speaking, continued to sip at his tea, his eyes still shut. "You make it as if you have all the answers and whatever someone else says is common sense."

"Because in the majority of people's cases, especially yours, it _is _all common sense." He finally opened his eyes, shaking his head. "I mean, you said we had to find a connection between them as if you were revealing a new spaceship model for NASA. You know that we both already knew that went without saying."

"Fine." Owen clenched his teeth. "Then what do _you _propose we do?"

Huey sat up, placing the cup back on the desk and opening his file, withdrawing a few pages and handing them to Owen, who viewed them with skepticism. "I've drafted up copies of the recorded conversations between friends and relatives of the victims that have been collected. They all basically go the same way; parents don't know why anyone would do something so horrible to their daughter, friends insist they were the sweetest person ever and had no enemies. No hint of deviance. No sort of incidents, dialogue, or any kind of signals to show anything other than random killings. Except-" He pulled out another page, also handing it over to the man. "What we all seem to keep coming back to. The septagrams."

Owen took a moment to read it all, giving the African American a skeptic glance.

"Septagrams-"

"Heptagons. Septacle. Elven Star." He shook his head. "It's the pagan symbol that's been found carved into their chests. It's apparently a symbol that's connected to the spirit world."

Owen snorted. "You believe that sort of thing?"

Huey snorted as well. "Hell no. But whoever this man is does."

"Man." Owen studied him. "How do you know it's a man doing all this?"

Huey blinked at him, shaking his head. "Please. See these?" He flipped through the file, plucking out a few photos and holding them up. Otis grimaced, swallowing. He'd been shown the photos a good dozen times already but he never got used to them. That guy, on the other hand, was handling them as casually as an ice cream cone. "The way that the incisions are done as well as the depth shows that it was a male, unless it's a woman who's injecting herself with steroids every damn day. The majority of women…I'm willing to say eighty, eighty five percent tops, wouldn't be able to cut that precise, that deep, _and _hold down the victim at the same time, since they were all conscious when it was done. At least, they were all conscious according to the autopsy reports down there…"

Owen flipped through everything, shaking his head. Where the hell had this guy _gotten _all this? He glanced up to see him drinking his tea again, trying to keep from yawning, dark circles under his eyes. He sighed, rubbing his own head.

"Thanks, kid."

Huey cut his eyes towards him. He felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on his head. He had some terrible facial expressions.

And by terrible, he meant scary.

"Yeah, whatever." He stretched his arms over his head as Owen focused back to all the paperwork. "I suggest we talk to the victim's parents again."

Owen glanced up, his eyebrow knotting. "What? Why?" He gestured to the paperwork. "They've already been questioned."

"Well, I want to question them again." Huey shrugged matter-of-factly. "That septagram is the only thing we have connecting these women. I'm sure of it. It's not as random as most the others think it is, otherwise he wouldn't be dumping bodies in even increments and being so repetitive with his procedures. If we find out that the septagram meant something to the victims then we can find out what it means to him, since he takes this shit so seriously."

Owen shook his head. "No." Huey's face darkened. "There's no point in questioning them _again_-"

"Okay, did you _not _hear what I just said?" Huey gave him a look. "It's not like we're going to go in there and ask the exact same questions they've heard before, or like we're going to find something to pass the time by. Forgive me, but I'm kind of on a tight schedule with this one. I don't have the time to do the same damn things for no reason."

"Ah." Owen leaned back, smirking. "You know the girl he's got now." He could tell by the way Huey's glare increased that this was probably a topic he's much rather not discuss. When Huey didn't respond he shrugged. "Right?"

He nodded stiffly.

"Well. I could see why that would make this more difficult for you." Owen yawned. "After all, that would probably kill your conscience if she were to die, wouldn't it?"

"It would kill _you_ to think before you opened that mouth of yours, wouldn't it?" Huey rolled his eyes. Owen felt his smile fade from his face. "I know what you're trying to do. If I didn't think I could handle the case I would've taken myself off of it. So you can stop trying to get in my head now. Not that you ever could." He folded his arms over his chest. "Tell you what. If you have such a problem with it, why don't _you _remove yourself?"

"Are you kidding me?" Owen shook his head, practically snarling. "The east coast kidnappings are probably going to be the case of the decade. Fuck that, maybe the next fifty years. I'm not going to let some puffy haired college kid with an attitude problem who walks around as if he owns the place get all the credit-"

"Wow." Huey snorted. "That's really mature of you." He clapped his hands mockingly a few times before shaking his head. "People are actually _dying _due to our inability to find their murderer and you have nothing better to do than get mad at other people for doing their jobs and getting recognized for it. What, you think I just sit around on my ass all day like _you _obviously do? That's ignorant of you."

Owen glared. Huey shrugged, sipping his drink.

"I don't really give a damn what _you _do, personally," He continued, lowering the cup. "I just want to find the guy. If you have a different agenda then more power to you."

Oh, he thought he was smart. Owen snarled at him as he downed the contents of his cup, dropping it in the trashcan beside his desk. He finally glanced back at Owen, his own eyes hardening.

"Is there anything _else _you wanted at midnight? In case you aren't aware some of us have to be here early tomorrow."

Owen started to reply with a snide remark before stopping himself. Alright, so the kid did have a point. Even if he couldn't stand his guts, he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of saving other people's lives. He sighed, shaking his head.

"No." He arranged all the papers in a neat pile, holding them out towards the afro sporting man. He shook his head, rising out his chair.

"I don't need them. I remember it all."

Ugh. How did he _do _that? What, was he a walking textbook? He leaned back, frowning.

"Actually," He said, causing Huey to pause. "I need to know. How close were you to number seven? This Dubois girl?"

His eyebrow lifted. "Not close."

Owen narrowed his eyes, examining his face for a sign of lying. He couldn't detect one. After a few moments of silence Huey rolled his eyes.

"Me and her knew each other when we were ten," He said, shrugging. "She lived across the street from me. We stopped talking for awhile when we were twelve. We started being friends again when we were sixteen. I graduated, I left, she graduated, she left, we didn't talk much after that. If you insist on knowing the details so much." He blinked. "Happy?"

Owen nodded. "I'm just making sure she wasn't an ex or anything." When Huey started to open his mouth he held up his hand. "I'm just saying. That situation has happened before. It gets messy." He leaned forward, regarding him with a serious expression. "For once, I'm not trying to question your abilities and I'm not trying to make a wisecrack at you. But I will tell you, these types of cases bring out emotions people never knew they had. Two years ago, we had this guy named Eddie. One of his ex homecoming dance dates from probably twenty years before was found dead in the trunk of her car. He got put on the case, insisted he could handle it…he just got out the mental hospital up in Baltimore about three months ago. He was done for." He paused. "So, I'm telling you as a…_partner_." God, that was hard to get out. "Whatever feelings you _think _you don't have, I suggest you find them, face them, and get rid of them now. Because at this point the odds are against us and there's a good chance this girl is going to be death number seven come the twenty fourth." He shrugged. "So, the last thing I need is you cracking from the pressure. Alright?"

Huey stared at him for a few moments before slowly bending over the desk, his palms resting on the wood. His eyes bore into his own.

"I. Don't. Crack." He straightened. "Just so _you _know."

Owen nodded as well, leaning back.

"Well, now that we've gotten that out the way…" He rubbed his eyes. "What do you suggest we do first?" Huey looked surprised. "_You're _the one with the ideas. _You're _the leader."

Huey shrugged, recovering from his shock quickly. "While you were doing all that talking about shutting away your non-existent feelings I went ahead and shut _you_ out so that I could think about what you said. About the other people already being questioned, that is. I decided you were right."

Owen gave him a surprised look as well. "…Really?" Then, catching on to the rest of his words, "_What_?"

"We don't have to question them." Huey paused. "Instead, we focus on the seventh woman."

Owen blinked. "What, Dubois?" When he nodded in response he shrugged. "But how do we know she automatically connects with the others?"

"How do we know she doesn't? Besides," He added, tapping his finger against his head. "Why would he suddenly change the format when he most likely knows that no one is on to him?

True.

"All I'm saying," He went on. "Is that we use her as the control right now. If we find out something that we think we might need to refer to the others for then we can go back to them. But for now, if we focus on her and find out what we can then it can lead us right to the guy."

Owen stroked his chin. Freeman did have a point.

Sadly. He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.

"_Fine_." He gave Huey a look. "Alright, whatever you say." He paused. "I suppose."

"Good." Huey turned around, heading for the door. "Bye."

Owen watched him walk out the door, smirking to himself. Fine. Freeman was smart. He'd give him that. So, if he wanted to take full responsibility for this thing, he'd let him, and he wouldn't even complain about it.

And why was that? Owen flipped through the paperwork, shrugging.

"As soon as he screws up," He mumbled, cackling to himself. "Then I'll be the one who can crack this thing open."

"Yeahhhh." Huey suddenly popped his head in the door, startling Owen so that his papers flew in the air. He had a bored expression on his face. "I wouldn't count on that."

His head disappeared and Owen blinked at the doorway.

Wow. He rested his head in his hands.

This was not going to go smoothly.

---

_He'd never be found there._

_The place was ancient, deserted. It had stood for possibly a century, maybe longer, yet it was so isolated that no one would ever come looking for him there…or her._

_The others had failed him. He shook his head, his face covered by the darkness that the abandoned structure harbored, staring towards the unmoving figure lying on her side in the center of the floor. His eyes narrowed._

_The others…they hadn't been able to give him what he wanted. But she had it. Finally, he'd be able to claim what he'd been trying to get for years. Only, he had to wait._

_The waiting, it was killing him. But it was the only way. _

_He clutched the rosary in his fist, staring down at it with pensive eyes, the beads gleaming in the dull moonlight that managed to seep through the boards overhead._

_He'd waited this long. He could afford to wait just a little longer._

He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as he sat up. The first thing he did was glance at the clock. _3:19 _am.

Well…now that he had that figured out…he rubbed his head, groaning.

That was weird. For a moment…well, he could have sworn he had a dream about Jazmine.

"You did."

He glanced up, practically flying against the headboard. "Holy-" He stopped abruptly, rubbing his eyes again and trying to keep his jaw from dropping. "Who the _hell _are you?"

The woman stepped out of the shadows, her green eyes filled with concern.

"Please." Her voice was soft. "Just listen to me."

"No!" He gaped at her, shaking his head and letting out a tiny laugh of disbelief. "Hell no. You're not _real_." He sighed. "I am really losing my mind."

She sighed. "Look-"

"You're the same person I thought I saw at school!" He climbed off the bed, ignoring the slight wave of dizziness that hit him and waving his hands. "I just figured that I was imagining things…and now I know there's really something wrong with me!"

"There's nothing _wrong _with you, Huey."

"Of course not." His voice was filled with sarcasm. "Because people go around seeing things _all the time_ that aren't there-"

"Listen to me." The woman glared at him, making him close his mouth in surprise. "I don't care what you think about me being real or not. What I care about is you finding Jazmine."

He froze, his eyes narrowing in wariness. "How the hell do you even know she's missing?"

Nevermind that he was talking to himself. He mentally slapped himself in the forehead. He really _was _losing his mind. The woman folded her arms over her chest.

"Because I have my ways," She said simply shaking her head. She gave him a quick look-over. "And for god sakes, listen to everyone around you. Get to a doctor. Otherwise you won't even be able to save _yourself _in the long run."

"Excuse me?" He glared at her. She shrugged.

"If you want to save her from the present," She said quietly. "Then you're going to have to learn her past."

And with that, she was gone.

Poof. Vanished. Huey rubbed his eyes, his jaw dropping with disbelief.

That had _not _just happened. He had to be sleeping. Or hallucinating. He flopped back down on the bed, aware of the pain creeping back into the base of his skull.

Maybe it was his subconscious mind trying to warn him that something was off, which caused him to mentally project unaccounted memories or images to his outer surroundings. He shook his head.

Or maybe he just needed to suck it up and make a doctor's appointment so he could stop _seeing shit_.

Yeah. That sounded about right.

It didn't make sense though. He cut on the light since he knew he was too awake to go back to sleep anytime soon, which he'd no doubt regret in a few hours. Hallucinating being a side effect of some underlying cause explained seeing things…but it didn't explain his dream. He didn't dream often, but when he did they were nothing like the one he'd just had. The one that had just happened, it was as if what had transpired in it had been happening at that very moment. And that kind of stuff just wasn't possible.

'_If you want to save her from the present, then you're going to have to learn her past.'_

No kidding. He shook his head.

First, he'd go to the doctor and get his damn tests done to see why he was hallucinating in the first place. Then, he'd focus on that.

Because, imaginary or not, that just may have been the best idea he'd gotten all day.

* * *

Haha. "This nigga got imaginary friends."

Thanks for reading! Of course, you know the rest...

-Kelsey


	3. Mystery Diagnosis

Sooooo I've had this entire chapter, except for the last part, done for three days. I'm such a douchebag. lol

Thanks to Leka10, MzMinni3, MizzC, instantLunch, insert psuedonym, and AngieT101 for the reviews! (Oh my goodness, I love being able to write so many names up there).

I'm noticing there's a lot of Crime Investigation Show lovers up here....so I hope I don't fuck this up, because I'm more of a Medical Drama person myself (ER, House, etc. Grey's Anatomy if I feel like being a sappy tool) and don't watch too many Law and Orders and whatnot (Oh, my goodness. The bf loves Law and Order. I always have to fight him for the remote). I _do _catch CSI: Miami from time to time, but that's only because my future husband -er, I mean- Adam Rodriguez is in it. Yum.

_"As I was reading, I was wondering if the number 7 had some significance."_

Hold that thought. ;)

_D__isclaimer: The Boondocks **still **isn't mine. _

* * *

Mystery Diagnosis

There wasn't a needle sticking in his arm. There wasn't a needle sticking in his arm. There _wasn't_ a needle sticking in his arm…

Damn. He could go after serial killers. He could watch an autopsy being performed. He could be held by gunpoint in an alleyway and completely immobilize his attacker within three seconds (although it wasn't something he'd want to have to do again). But he could not for the life of him get over this _thing _he had with sharp, pointy objects that were inserted into his vein for the purpose of extracting blood cells as if it were some mechanical mosquito.

To make matters _worse_ the first technician who had come in had spent a good five minutes trying to dig for a vein in his left arm, wound up making his arm start bleeding, and had to get _another _technician to find the vein in his right arm since his left one was now useless. His doctor must have gotten word about the entire thing since he finally came in to do it himself.

Huey, despite his impatience, had been surprisingly cool about it and hadn't even yelled at the first technician for his mistake.

…Much.

"Well." His doctor, some balding black guy with a voice as low as James Earl Jones and a mustache thick as Hitler's, withdrew the needle after what seemed to be _forever_ and placed some balled up gauze over the vein. He dropped the tubes containing his blood samples in a plastic holder, reaching for a bandage. "These are going to go straight to the lab, so you should hear back from them anywhere from four to eight days from now." He wrapped the bandage around his arm, either ignoring or not noticing the scowl Huey had on his face. "Your blood pressure's at eighty four over fifty four and your pulse rate is forty one, and it's not showing any sign of going up on its own." He turned away, grabbing some chart and scribbling on it. "I am almost certain you have Bradycardia, which may be the cause of your accompanying hypotension."

"It doesn't make sense." Huey shook his head. "I've never been sick in my _life_. I don't eat meat. I'm not some non-exercising irresponsible person who sits around and stuffs his face with crap on a daily basis-"

"Bradycardia doesn't mean that you're unhealthy." The doctor sat up, regarding him with a calm expression. "It just means you have a lower heart rate. It is a lot more common than people think, especially in athletic individuals, which is a criterion you seem to fall in. However, whereas most people with it have no symptoms as a result, it's giving you a problem." He frowned. "What makes this even trickier is that the electrical pulses in your heart seem to be fine, so that means there's another cause for your hypotension. It could be an electrolyte imbalance. It could be problems with your thyroid or neurologic problems. Maybe vascular heart disease, a disorder from your AV node, endocrine problems…"

Goddamn. He wasn't even twenty-five yet. Weren't these types of issues for elderly people?!

"There isn't any permanent medicine I can put you on to alleviate this unless we wanted further damage to occur," He said simply, capping his pen and tearing a sheet of paper off his pad, holding it out towards Huey, who took it and read it. "The only thing we _can _do is run more tests to find the real cause and fix it before this gets worse."

Huey sighed. "Will it involve that incompetent technician again?"

The doctor smiled kindly, shaking his head. "No. We'll find you a less incompetent one."

He snorted.

"One thing I _could _do," The doctor continued aloud, causing Huey to look up. "Would be to give you a temporary pacemaker."

His face fell. "No."

The doctor nodded. "Glad to see we've gotten that straightened out." He turned around, glancing at the computer screen that was on the counter in front of him. "In the meantime, avoid sodium. Add more electrolytes and potassium to your diet. I'm going to put you on _this_-" He handed over another slip of paper, which turned out to be some prescription. "Which should help. When the results come back from your blood work I'll give you a call so we can see what to do next."

Huey nodded, standing up. Whatever.

"Well, what do you think it _could _be?" He asked. The doctor glanced up from his chart. "You know, the cause of all this?"

The doctor frowned, which did nothing to reassure him. It was only made worse when he glanced down at Huey's chart and his frown deepened. When a worried look fell over his face, he knew that it was time to be concerned.

"I don't know." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I truly don't know."

---

"Huey!"

He didn't even have time to prepare himself before Tom Dubois was throwing his arms around the stunned man, tugging him into a bone crushing hug. He blinked. He never knew Tom was strong enough to induce pain in _anyone_, no matter how unintentional. After a good five seconds Tom dropped his arms, stepping back and surveying Huey with critical eyes. "Are you alright? Your granddad told me you had to go to the hospital a few days ago."

Was there anyone he _hadn't _told? "I'm fine." He stepped into the vaguely familiar house, glancing around as Tom walked away, cupping his hand over his mouth.

"Sarah!" He yelled, shaking his head and turning towards him again. "Usually we'd both be at work, but…well, you know."

"I do." Huey rubbed the back of his neck as he heard feet coming down the stairs. "That's why I need to talk to you, actually." When Tom blinked he winced, breaking out his badge and flashing it to him. "Sorry."

Tom's eyes widened. Sarah finally reached the bottom of the stairs, saw it, and sighed.

"Hey, Huey," She said, with much less enthusiasm than Tom had. Huey pocketed the badge, nodding.

"Hey, Mrs. Dubois."

"Call me Alston." She shot Tom a look. "We're divorced."

"Oh." Huey's eyebrows rose in surprise. If he felt like being nosy he'd ask why she was there if that was the case but decided against it. Turned out he didn't have to since Tom decided to explain it for him.

"We've both been getting a lot of people from the press," He said, rolling up the sleeves of his collared shirt. "Someone threw a rock through her window at her house in Baltimore. She's just staying here until it dies down."

Huey nodded. "That's civil of you both."

Sarah looked at him like he was nuts. "She's our daughter. We wouldn't let this entire thing make us forget that."

He shrugged. "Not everyone can rationalize it that way. Divorce can make people crazy."

He, of _all _people, knew that. She nodded as well, gesturing towards the sofa.

"Well, you want to sit down?" She asked gently, tucking her tangled blond hair behind her ears. He flopped down on the couch while Tom stood by the stairs, leaning against the railing. Sarah sat down on the opposite end of the couch, resting her hands on her knees and giving him a look as he glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

"Your grandfather told us how well you're doing," She said softly. "You finished your undergrad early, you're going into your third year of grad school, you work for the FBI…I'm proud of you."

Since it wasn't as if they'd been too close when he was growing up, her words were a bit surprising. He nodded, glancing at her.

"Thanks."

She leaned back, offering him a tiny smile that didn't reach her eyes. "So, I guess you want to get started?"

"It would be the best, yeah." He sat up, resting his elbows on his knees and glancing between both Tom and Sarah. "You've probably heard most of these before, so I'm sorry for that. But I need to know, so there's no getting around having to re-answer a few things."

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "That's fine."

Tom nodded, folding his arms across his chest and lifting his chin. Huey glanced at Sarah.

"When's the last time you talked to her?"

Sarah frowned, staring down at the floor. "We weren't talking."

Huey's eyebrows rose.

"She…she was taking our divorce hard," She continued, sighing. "It was just finalized at the beginning of April. She was convinced that we hadn't tried harder to make it work. We just didn't see eye-to-eye on it. I don't think we've had a decent conversation since she came home in March for my birthday and spring break. She was supposed to be coming home this weekend since school was letting out. Her graduation was supposed to be May eighth." She took another deep breath, her chest rising and falling heavily. "She sent us both tickets, so we knew she wasn't as angry. She's not good at holding grudges."

Even he knew that. He nodded.

"The last time I actually _talked _to her was the afternoon before she got…" Sarah let her voice trail off and she shook her head. "I called her to ask if she'd taken my straightener when she left. She said she did and that she'd bring it back or could mail it if I needed it. It was so _stupid_." She shook her head. "My daughter was less than twelve hours away from being taken from us and all I did was ask her for my _hair straightener_-"

"It's not like you could have known it was going to happen," Huey said, feeling bad for the woman. She glanced towards him, something in her eyes changing. But within moments it as gone.

"I guess you're right."

Huey sat up, turning to Tom, who was oddly quiet. "So, you hadn't talked to her at all since she last came to Maryland?"

He shook his head, sighing.

"She wasn't as mad at your mother as she was me," He admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Our divorce…well…"

"Go ahead, Tom." Sarah gestured towards Huey. "Tell him. Tell him about that bitch of a secretary you-"

"Sarah, _please_."

Great. Nothing better than being in the middle of a couple's infidelity discussion.

"Don't "Sarah, please" me-"

"Did she have any enemies?" Huey asked aloud, causing them both to stop and stare at him. Tom's eyes softened.

"No." He snorted. "Jazmine was…_is _friends with everyone. He paused. "I don't want to use past tense when it comes to her. She isn't dead. We haven't completely lost her. Not yet."

He could understand that. Huey nodded.

"No jealous sorority sisters? No crazy roommates or co-workers? No stalker ex boyfriends, or stalker_ current_ boyfriends?"

"Jazmine isn't in a sorority," Sarah answered, tugging at a string on her sweatpants. "And she doesn't have any ex boyfriends. She isn't much of a dater." She smirked, amused. "She says the guys she know aren't worth her time."

"Smart woman." Huey glanced up. "What about the roommate?"

Sarah shook her head. "From what I know she and her roommate were fine. She was planning on coming up here to stay for a month after their graduation and she calls us to ask if we've heard anything. Her name's December. She's a sweet girl. A little on the wild side, but-" She stopped, snorting. "I'm rambling. I'll stop."

He shrugged. "Rambling's fine. It gives me more to work with." He paused. "They've put out a missing person's alert down in Miami already, right?"

"Not just there." Tom shook his head. "Everywhere along the east coast. Law enforcement is getting frustrated with how easy this person's getting away with it."

"Alright." Huey shrugged, glancing at the both of them. "So, if she had no known enemies, then why do you think someone would take her?"

Tom and Sarah blinked. After a few moments of silence Tom burst out laughing.

"How do…how do you think we could know the answer to that?" He asked, throwing his hands in the air. "We don't know! Some whacko decided they had nothing to do than make someone's family suffer so they took her. I have no idea-"

"Have you been keeping up with the progression of the other women's cases?" Huey asked, interrupting him. Tom blinked.

"Well…not really, no…"

Huey snorted. "You should know better than to lie to me, Mr. Dubois."

He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Well, I have been…some." He sighed. "It's just…I wanted to know what my daughter had to do with these other women to make her seem as if she'd be a good target for whatever they plan on doing to her."

"Understandable."

Tom blinked at him. "Aren't you going to write any of this?"

"If it'll help you feel better, I guess." Huey shrugged, breaking out a pen and a pad. "I'll remember it either way."

"Jazmine-" Huey glanced towards Sarah, who had began talking again. "She…had a group of friends I didn't really approve of." She paused. "They were into…well…paganism." She shrugged. "I know the kidnapper's into that sort of thing, at least the rumors say."

"So, she was experimenting with-"

"No," Sarah said firmly, making him blink. "She was just associated with people who did. Jazmine would never mess with that sort of thing. She knows better."

Huey tipped his head to the side, examining her facial expression.

"The more you say "never", the more I keep hearing "that's exactly what she was doing"." He shrugged. "But it could just be me."

Sarah frowned. Huey sat up, turning towards her.

"Mrs. Du-" When he eyebrows shot up he winced. "_Ms_. Alston."

She looked pleased. Tom looked annoyed.

"You do realize that if she _were _to be dabbling in that sort of thing then it would give him a reason to want her, right?" He asked, causing her face to grow wary. "And if we have a reason as opposed to a spur-of-the-moment "he just took her" hypothesis, then it would be pretty helpful." He leaned forward. "So, I'm going to ask you again, or at least try to. Hopefully you won't interrupt me this time." He looked into her deep blue eyes. "Was Jazmine experimenting with paganism?"

Tom cleared his throat, causing them both to look at him. He took a step back, towards the kitchen. "Does anyone…want some water?"

Sarah shook her head and Huey did the same. He disappeared and Sarah turned to Huey again, swallowing.

"It's not…easy to explain," She said, her voice lower than before. "Tom hates talking about it, since he figured we got rid of her…_beliefs _so long ago. Jazmine…she was…she _is_-" She broke off, shaking her head. "I don't know how to say it without sounding completely insane. It's so complicated."

Huey shook his head. "Just say it."

She nodded, a strand of blond hair falling into her eye. "She's different." Huey gave her a look. "There's things she can do that will never be explained by science. She…sees things that the rest of us don't even know are there."

Huey couldn't help it; he smirked. Sarah caught it and glared at him.

"I'm not joking."

"Oh, I know." He glanced down at his pad. "That's what makes it funny."

"There is _nothing _about this that is funny," She said, making him stop. She leaned forward as well. "You said yourself that psychopath is into the occult. If he's _into _the occult, then my daughter _is _the occult." She shook her head. "You'll never understand, Huey. It's too much for anyone outside of it to deal with. It was even too much for me."

"Too much for you?" His eyebrow lifted. "What are you _talking _about?"

Sarah glanced towards the doorway, as if making sure Tom were nowhere in sight. Then, she ducked her head again.

"I'm only telling you this," She said quietly. "Because my daughter's life is on the line." She paused. "She can do things that you and I can't even imagine. She's always been able to. And if this guy really is into this sort of thing, then her…abilities are _exactly _why he took her."

Huey didn't say anything.

"She got down in Florida, she found people who were just like her or strived to be like her, and she stopped controlling her…abilities. She let her abilities control her instead. And that's why he took her. Because somehow he found out what she was. What she _is_," She corrected. She swallowed, tears filling her eyes. Huey's eyes narrowed.

"Let me get this straight." He gave her a look filled with disbelief. "You want me to believe Jazmine has some kind of magical powers."

She looked him dead in the eye. "You don't have to believe it. But it won't make it any less true if you don't."

In the kitchen, there was a lot of banging and slamming of doors. Huey tore his eyes away from it, instead focusing on Sarah again.

"Give me a reason to believe you."

She frowned. "You know I don't have one."

"Of course you don't." He glanced up from the pad. "Well, how about this? Tell me what she can do."

Sarah blinked.

"Her powers…or whatever you want to call them."

She bit her lip, looking nervous. "I can't."

He snorted.

"It's against protocol."

_That _got his attention. "Protocol?"

"Rules," She replied simply. When he continued to give her a dumbfound look she gestured to him. "There's certain people who aren't supposed to know about this type of thing. And you're one of them."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, sometimes, rules have to be broken." Was this woman for _real_? She hesitated.

"She has premonitions." Huey's eyes flicked up to her face, his eyebrows drawing together. "All the time. When she was younger, it was so hard for her to control. She isolated herself. It was a hard thing for her to deal with, and her father and I didn't make it any easier. Especially when we were living in Boston-" She cut off abruptly, shaking her head. Huey gave her an annoyed look.

"You can't just stop talking without explaining what the hell you're saying," He said. She nodded.

"I know." She swallowed before continuing. "I wouldn't believe any of what I'm telling you either…except I was the exact same way."

_Wow_. Huey didn't know whether he should laugh or take her seriously, although he was leaning towards the first one. He's always thought Sarah was the sensible one, but maybe he'd been wrong.

"I hated it." She sighed. "I hated it so much that I got rid of them. I think for awhile she thought about doing the same thing, but she never did." She rested her palms on her thighs. "She also sees the dead. She can talk to them, touch them, hear them and see them. Now that's something even I was never capable of."

Huey gave her a long, blank stare. After a good minute of silence he shook his head.

"You're kidding, Sarah. Right?"

"This is my _daughter _whose life depends on what I'm telling you!" She snapped. He stared at her in shock. "I would _never _play around when it comes to the wellbeing of my child. Especially not when I did it throughout her childhood…" She cut off and pressed her hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes. Huey rested his chin on his hand.

"So, back in Boston." She glanced at him. "How did her…_powers_-" Might as well play along. "make her behave there?"

Sarah snorted. "She was even _worse_. Well, it wasn't her behavior that was worse...it was everyone else." She dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. "She was bullied all the time. Her visions, they'd cause her to space out. Sometimes they'd be too strong for her and she'd collapse in the classroom. As a result kids her age thought she was crazy, and most of the parents did, too." She sighed. "Even she questioned her own sanity."

That sounded surprisingly familiar. He could remember back in grade school the various times he'd hear about her fainting in Biology or passing out in PE. She'd even collapsed once when they were fourteen in their English nine class and he'd been the one to carry her to the nurse's office, even though he'd left before she'd awakened so that she wouldn't know it was him. After all, they hadn't been talking much. She wasn't ever flat out bullied, though. Sure, she kept to herself and people used to call her crazy, but she got a lot better their junior year.

"Anyways," Sarah went on, breaking Huey out of his thoughts. "There was a really bad incident that happened to her when she was eight. She got jumped on the playground by these three boys a grade above her. There were over fifty kids on that playground, yet not one stood up for her or spoke against them. Even the parents defended them. The staff did nothing to discipline them, so we took her out of that school and put her in a private school. We started taking her to therapy. The therapist took a liking to her, which was unusual since most doctors and shrinks we took to her never got through to her. But the therapist…she helped. The only reason she stopped going was because we moved here a couple years later."

"Therapist." Huey wrote on the notepad. "What's her name?"

Sarah looked reluctant. "Anita. Anita Price."

He nodded, writing it down. "And she's in Boston?"

"Yes." Sarah bit her lip. "I don't know if she still works, though. This _did _happen over a decade ago."

"It's okay." Huey closed the pad, shrugging. "It's not as hard finding people as they like to think."

She blinked. "That's…comforting."

He snorted. She studied his face, shaking her head.

"The only way you're going to be able to solve this," She practically whispered. "Is if you open your mind." She glanced towards the kitchen. "Jazmine's father never accepted the idea that there are outside forces, supernatural occurrences, that can't be explained. As a result, his relationship with her is strained. Ours, it isn't much better. But I'm trying." She looked at Huey. "I really am trying."

He nodded.

"I know you, Huey." His eyebrow rose. "You're logical and rational and you go for facts. You don't base your opinions off what people think, you make them off what people _know_. And there's nothing wrong with that." She shifted in her spot. "But when it comes to this, logic alone isn't going to save her. It's going to take accepting that some things you just won't be able to understand."

He didn't say anything, he just blinked at her. She sighed.

"She's not the only one who is like this." She shook her head. "Far from it. But she's powerful. She always has been. She does things that even the others in our family haven't been able to do-"

"Others?" He raised his head. She nodded.

"There's a line of them. A long line." She stared down to the floor. "My mother, her mother, _her _mother…they were all psychics. I was one…but I gave it up. I couldn't handle it." She frowned. "I wish I hadn't. Maybe I could have seen this coming. Maybe she wouldn't even be in this situation."

"Well." Huey's tone was sarcastic. "If she is a psychic then how come _she _didn't know this was going to happen?"

Sarah shot him a look. "Maybe she did."

There was a loud crash in the kitchen, followed by a hiss and a _"Shit!" _

"You alright in there, Tom?"

"Yes!"

"Anyways," She said, shaking her head. "I need you to never doubt the impossible." Her eyes narrowed as they bore into his. "Expect the unexpected. And don't forget that nothing is ever as it seems."

He nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He hated it when people were cryptic. He hated it even more when people gave him advice he didn't need. He flipped the pad closed, stretching and rising to his feet.

"I think I've got everything I need," He said, letting his hands drop to his sides. Sarah nodded. "And Sarah?" She blinked. "I'm sorry."

She swallowed, glancing at the floor. "Thank you, Huey." She looked back up. "Please, just do everything you can to get her back."

He nodded again. "I will." He glanced towards the kitchen, his eyebrows rising. "Is Tom okay?"

"Oh, I don't know." She waved her hand, getting up as well and walking him to the door. "He'll get over it." When he stepped onto the front porch she stopped him. "Send Robert and Riley my love."

"Alright."

"And Huey." He glanced over his shoulder at her, watching her face soften. "Take better care of yourself. I don't want you winding up in the hospital again, or worse."

He snorted. "Fine." He continued down the sidewalk and shook his head as he heard the door close behind him.

Psychics. Powers. Seeing dead people. Had they all lost their minds?

He started to cross the street to head into his grandad's house before stopping dead in his tracks. His eyes widened as a memory flashed in his mind.

Back in the Dubois house, he'd seen a photo of a woman. She'd had dark hair streaked with gray, green eyes, and her arms were wrapped around a younger Jazmine, whose own emerald eyes were practically identical with the woman's.

He recognized her now. It was Jazmine's grandmother. He'd met her before. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten who she _was_-

Wait, though. She was dead. She'd died of pneumonia eleven days before Jazmine's twelfth birthday. He shook his head again.

He'd hallucinated seeing her grandmother earlier that morning…but for _what_? What was his subconscious trying to tell him?

He had no idea. But he planned on finding out.

---

_In. Out._

_She stared up at the ceiling, letting her senses drift back to her. Her eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the darkness that surrounded her. She swallowed heavily, beginning to lift her hand. At least, she was trying to._

_Only…nothing was happening._

_Her eyes widened. She felt her heart constrict in her chest._

_In. Out. In. Out._

_She had to breathe. It was hard when she didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten there. It was terrifying, especially since she couldn't even move her own body. The panic built up, the pressure seeming to press down on all four sides. All she could do was focus on breathing, focus on the tiny specks of light that shined through the small cracks in the old ceiling above her head. _

_In. Out. In-_

_She heard movement and her eyes quickly darted to her right. She could see a figure sitting in the corner, examining her. When he saw her staring his way he grinned._

_"Enjoy the nap?"_

_She glared. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, dusting himself off as he migrated closer, surveying her with a curious expression on his face._

_"I didn't give you much, you know." She must have looked confused since he gestured towards her. "Sedative. It took a lot more than the measly dose you received to get the others down." He smirked, snorting. "Maybe you're not as powerful as I'd originally believed."_

_Her eyes hardened. She swallowed, her chest rising and falling._

_In. Out._

_"Have you forgotten how to speak?" He asked, frowning slightly. When she merely stared up at him his own eyes narrowed. "Do you really think it's smart to ignore me?"_

_She never took her eyes off of him, making sure that he didn't notice as she gently flexed the fingers on her left hand. She could feel the feeling returning in small increments; a prickling sensation here, another tickle there. If only she could distract him long enough until she gained feeling…_

_"It's not wise," He said, shaking his head and sighing. "It's not wise of you to ignore the one who holds your very life in his hands."_

_She clenched her jaw, making sure she could actually move it before attempting to speak._

_"You need me." His eyebrows lifted. She swallowed, trying to clear her throat. "You can't…kill me."_

_"I can find another."_

_"You could." Her eyes narrowed. "But you…won't."_

_He shook his head, turning away. His hands were tucked behind his back._

_"You're not like the others were," He said, his voice surprisingly calm. She blinked up at him. She could feel light sensations traveling up her arms, hitting her shoulders as if tiny embers were hitting her skin. "Every waking moment they had they spent pleading with me. Crying. Begging. Trying to negotiate." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "But you…you do none of that." He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're the calmest. The youngest." Her eyes narrowed and he smirked. "And the weakest."_

_In. Out. In. Out._

_"I'm not going to beg some pathetic excuse of a person to let me go," She said lowly, making his smile vanish instantly. "I don't beg. Ever."_

_He glared at her. She glared back. He shrugged, rising to his feet._

_"Someone's forgetting her place in this situation." He walked over to the far corner of the room, his back turned to her. Her eyes narrowed as he turned back around, a syringe in one hand and a knife in the other. "So let me just remind you-"_

_SLAM._

_The syringe and the weapon fell to the floor as he hit the wall with a bone shaking thud, dropping to the floor with a groan. She quickly sat up, pushing herself to her feet. The only problem was that while the rest of her body had awakened, her legs and feet had not. She let out a tiny cry of her own and hit the floor, pushing herself up with her hands in time to feel him yanking her up by the back of her hair. Her eyes widened._

_He'd gotten up quicker than she'd anticipated._

_Before she could react he was whipping out a gun, pointing it straight between her eyes. She let out a small yelp, squeezing her eyes shut._

_"Not so powerful when you're pushed in the corner, are you?" He snarled, moving the barrel down to her throat. She kept her eyes closed, trying to keep from shaking. "_Are you_?"_

_He threw her down so that she fell on her side and he crouched down, slamming his hand over her throat so that she couldn't move._

_"I'd recommend," He growled, his chest heaving up and down. "That you don't try that again." As she blinked back he snorted, rolling his eyes. "You thought you were clever, hiding that you're a telekinetic. How foolish of you to seriously think it would be that easy to escape from me. And how foolish of _me_ to underestimate you." He whipped out the syringe again, bending down towards her. "I won't make that mistake again."_

_"No!" She tried to back away, a futile effort due to her still numb legs and his hand which was tightening around her throat the more she moved. She started swinging her fists at him, fighting against him as he tried to stick her with the needle-_

_And then, he slammed her down again, quickly sticking the needle into her arm and pressing down on the syringe. She knocked him aside but it was too late; she could already feel the warm substance pulsing through her veins. Her arms felt weaker. Her vision was blurrier…_

_She felt the tiny sting of another needle, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "Stopppp," She mumbled, her mind already drifting off. She swatted uselessly at the air around her, dully aware of the sounds of his laughter, the soft, rhythmic beating of her own heart and not even noticing as she collapsed to the floor, her eyes fluttering shut._

_In. Out. In…out-_

"SHIT!"

He quickly sat up, inhaling sharply. As he tried to catch his breath he glanced around the room. He could feel his head thudding heavily in his chest.

He wasn't much of a dreamer. Even when he'd been younger he'd only dreamt about practical things and that was when he dreamed at _all. _He'd rarely had dreams like the one he just did.

And he'd never, _ever _had a dream that had felt so _real _in his life. It took a lot to freak him out, but what he'd seen had been so eerily, chilling lifelike that it was as if it were happening at that very moment.

Wait.

He swallowed, thinking about the conversation he'd had before. Sarah had insisted that Jazmine had some kind of supernatural powers that made her a target for this. She'd been completely serious when she'd told him about it. She'd told him to open his mind.

He wasn't close minded in any way...but could he really open his mind to _this_?

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Alright, there were always explanations for this type of thing. It had just been a dream. Because, even if _Jazmine _had some extra shit going on, it had nothing to do with _him_. He _knew _he wasn't some pyschic, which was how he knew that what he saw was just...a dream. It _had _to have been a dream.

But...if he was so sure, then why the hell was there a part of him that didn't believe that?

Jazmine's dead grandmother suddenly appearing to him, these strange dreams, her mother's words...it could have all been a conincidence, but at this point he was pretty sure it was otherwise.

_"When it comes to this, logic alone isn't going to save her. It's going to take accepting that some things you just won't be able to understand."_

He didn't understand. At all. And he was still reluctant about it.

But then he thought back to what he'd just seen moments ago, feeling his eyes narrow and his blood boil. Because, if that _had _been real? That meant she was in some serious shit. And he couldn't just let her die because he was too much of a skeptic to believe what wasn't scientifically proven.

He pushed himself out of the bed, stretching and opening the door, ignoring the clock that read _1:14 am _and shuffling to his computer in the other room, flopping down in the chair in front of it and shaking the mouse so that the screen came to life. He blinked at the bottom of the screen.

_April 29, 2016_

He didn't have much time. _She _didn't have much time.

That was before he could think twice about it he opened up the internet, purchasing a plane ticket from Washington National Airport within minutes. As he did so he picked up his phone, dialing a number and pressing the phone to his ear as he typed, his eyes never leaving the screen. After a good seven rings, the phone picked up.

_"Freeman?" _Owen's semi furious voice growled into his ear. "_What the hell do you want at one in the morning_?"

"We're going to Boston tomorrow."

There was a slight pause, followed by a snort. "_What are you mouthing off about, Q Tip_?"

"Funny," Huey said back with no trace of humor in his voice. He rolled his eyes. "Look, Sheldon. I'm online purchasing a ticket to go to Massachusetts tomorrow and _you're _supposed to be my partner. So, either you carry your ass with me or you can stay here and be useless. I don't give a damn either way."

Owen snorted. "_If you don't give a damn then why bother asking? Count me _out."

"Fine." Huey shrugged. "I guess Skyler won't be _too _curious as to why I'm working on the case by myself as you sit behind your desk and do _nothing_." He heard Owen breathe in sharply. "_Bye_-"

"_Freeman, wait_." Huey paused. Owen sighed into the phone. "_What time are you making your flight?_"

He glanced at the screen. "I managed to get a seven am that wasn't full." He heard Owen groan. "Problem?"

"_Have you told your little plan to Skyler?"_

"Nope. I will, though." His eyes narrowed. "Don't worry about what _I'm _doing. You worry about getting on this flight and leave the rest to me."

Owen mumbled something that sounded a bit like _Cocky son of a bitch_, but he ignored him. "_Fine_. _Whatever. Can I go to sleep now_?"

"Certainly." Huey rolled his eyes. "Bye-"

"_May I ask _why _we're going to Boston, by the way?" _Owen sounded skeptical. _"What's in Boston_?"

Huey scanned the plane ticket, his eyebrows drawing together. He clicked _confirm _and sat back, glancing up at the ceiling.

"We'll find out tomorrow, won't we?" He hung up without saying goodbye and put down the phone, spinning slowly in the chair thoughtfully. He glanced up from his feet, freezing in his spot. His eyes narrowed.

"You're not my imagination." He sat up, glaring at the woman who was perched against the opposite wall, her arms crossed over her chest. "Are you?"

She slowly shook her head, offering him a small smile. He didn't return it.

"If you're..._real,_" He asked, lifting his chin. "Then why am I seeing this sort of thing for the first time in twenty-two years?"

She smirked.

"It's not your first time, you know." His eyebrows lifted. "This isn't the first time you've had to deal with this."

He snorted. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember something as big as being able to see people who aren't really there."

She frowned, shaking her head.

"You wouldn't."

He gave her a confused look but she vanished again. He slowly leaned back, closing his eyes and running his face over his hands. He wasn't even going to try to decipher what she'd said. Instead he got back up, heading back for his room to get the few hours of sleep he could before he had to wake up again. Before he went to Boston.

Before, hopefully, he'd get the information he needed from a Mrs. Anita Price.

* * *

!!!!1!!1!!!!!111!!!!one.  
...?!

-Kelsey


	4. Shades of Gray

So yeah, it's been some weeks...haha. I hit a bit of a writer's block, but it was mainly due to other crap going on. Now that it's all out the way, my block is gone! Wooooo! I do have exams though since school's over for me May 6th, so if I don't review for a week or two at a time it isn't because I've forgotten. It's just because, well, writing fanfiction doesn't guarantee me a good job, you know.

So, thank you to AngieT101, insert psuedonym, instantLUNCH, xXMissJanuary1996Xx, Vikki, and Leka10 for the reviews! And BIGBIGBIG thank you to AngieT101 for making me a wonderful picture!! I was so excited. So, I'm making this chapter to her. Boo ya.

Annnd thanks to Tupac. For some reason listening to him got me through this chapter. It wasn't originally supposed to go this way. I think I'm glad it did.

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Shades of Gray

"Come in!"

Fifty three year old Anita Price didn't even look up as the door opened. Instead she picked up her appointment book and scanned it. "Denea Ramsey, right?"

"Not…exactly."

She looked up to see two men standing in front of the door, their hands in their coat pockets and their faces serious. Well, the black guy's was. The white guy, who was just a few inches taller and a few inches wider, certainly didn't look grave. He just looked annoyed.

She could relate. It was exactly how she felt at the moment. She was strict on her patients getting to her on time. She hadn't been late getting started in her twenty nine years of working in the profession. She purposely scheduled appointments with forty five minutes gaps in between in case clients ran over. She wasn't going to lie, she did care about money. But she cared about the wellbeing of those who sought her out for help even more.

So, these two weren't going to suddenly push someone else back just because they thought they were too good to call ahead.

"I'm sorry," she started, already dismissing them with a wave of her hand. "But unless you have an appointment-"

At the speed of light, both men whipped out identical badges, making her eyes widen and then narrow. She sat back as they came forward, the black man closing the door behind them. She inwardly groaned. What in the world would they need with _her_?

"I don't care who you are." Anita glared at them. "I have a one thirty appointment with a thirteen year old schizophrenic with panic disorder. You will _not _interfere with the well being of my other patients."

"Fine with me," The white guy said, snorting and flopping into a chair in front of her desk. She blinked as he extended a hand. "Owen Sheldon. Nice to meet you." His eyebrows rose, a strand of red hair falling into his eyes. "So…you seeing anybody?"

She looked at his hand as if it were on fire. "I'm old enough to be your mother."

"Owen, get a grip." The other man folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. Unlike his partner, he didn't sit down. "Aren't you married?"

"Legally separated." He looked pleased. "And our divorce will be final June first. Ah. Life is good."

"Owen, you just sit there and _pretend _that you possess a shred of intelligence." Anita couldn't help but snort as the man let out an exasperated sigh before glancing down at her.

"I know you're busy, so we'll keep this short." He sat down in the chair beside Owen's, not even bothering with introductions. "We need you to tell us about a former patient of yours."

Anita folded her hands on her desk, nodding. "Alright. How long ago were they a patient of mine?"

He smirked. "Eleven years ago?"

She smirked herself and shook her head. While this guy wasn't necessarily the friendliest, he was straightforward. And he wasn't aggravating, like his partner seemed to be. She rested her chin in her hand.

"I don't make a mental note of every single one of my patients." She stared at him, her voice firm. "I take patient confidentiality very seriously. When a patient no longer comes to me I destroy their files five years after, giving a geace period in case they return. There's very few exceptions to that rule. So, if this client's from eleven years ago then their file is long gone, Mr…" She let her sentence fade off, giving him a look. He rolled his eyes.

"Freeman. And I have a feeling that if what others have said is correct, you'll still have it." He sat up, giving her a challenging look. "Jazmine Dubois?"

Anita blinked.

_Jazmine Dubois_.

Oh, goodness.

She slowly eased back in her chair, feeling all the air leave her lungs. She vaguely noticed him giving her a look.

"You remember her."

She glanced back up at him and nodded, swallowing.

"You were her childhood therapist, right? Until she was nine?"

She nodded again.

"Well, can you-"

"No." She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, but-"

"But what?" He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. "You really _don't _have a choice, Mrs. Price."

Anita glared at him. He glared back. His partner, Owen, just sat there and looked amused.

"Maybe she doesn't have anything," he said with a casual shrug, uncrossing his legs and glancing out the window behind her head. "Maybe you insisted on us flying all the way up to Boston for absolutely no reason, _Huey_."

The other guy rolled his eyes. "And maybe you should go back to not talking, _Owen_."

Anita slowly pushed back her chair as the two began to bicker, rising to her feet and making her way to a file cabinet in the far corner of the room. It was one that was never used. She unlocked it, pulling open the bottom drawer and slowly flipping through files until she came up on _Dubois, J.E._. She softly shut it again, turning around and heading back to her seat. At this point both men had noticed her absence and had fallen silent, straightening upon her sitting back down and placing the file in front of her.

"This girl." Anita shook her head, taking a deep breath. If it weren't for them being a part of the government then she'd never be discussing a patient's history, especially not _this _one. Her memory wasn't the best and even though all those years had passed…she was probably the only patient she'd _never _forget. "That girl was different."

The man known as Huey's eyebrow rose. He was a skeptic. She could already see it, written all over his features. She hadn't gone through ten years of postsecondary education for nothing. "Sorry…?" His partner, Owen, looked a bit more interested.

"She knew things," She replied quietly. Beside him, Owen snorted, and she shot him a glare before turning back to the other man, focusing only on him. "She knew things about people she'd never met. She could tell you events that would happen before they did. She could see them with her mind." She shook her head. "Even after all these years, after a good decade, I could never forget her."

Now he looked _really _reluctant. "Are you saying she was psychic?"

Anita glared up at him, pushing her graying brown hair behind her ear. "Don't give me that look as if you're questioning my sanity," she said sharply. He shrugged.

"I wasn't."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

His response was automatic, his expression just as hard. "I'm not here to be psychoanalyzed. I'm here to get some answers. So don't worry about what I'm doing; you worry about yourself."

Ouch.

"Hey." Owen elbowed him. "Don't talk to the woman like that." He grinned. She rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Sheldon." She sat up again. "I didn't believe her myself. No one did. Doctors tried to diagnose her as a schizophrenic, her own parents thought she might have lost her mind. At times I witnessed her question her own sanity. She was a lot of things, Mr. Freeman. She was afraid, she was timid, and she was insecure and sensitive. But one thing she _wasn't_, was crazy."

He nodded, something in his features softening. "I never said she was crazy."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Don't talk badly about his girlfriend. That could end-"

"Damn it, do you _ever _think before you speak?" He snapped, glaring at his grinning partner. "How many time do I have to-"

"It was a joke! Relax!"

"Oh, of course. Right now is a perfectly good time to play around." He sighed heavily, shaking his head and turning towards her. She leaned forward.

"She's your girlfriend?"

"No. He's just an idiot." He waved his hand. "Anyways, go on."

Anita slowly opened the file, shuffling through papers, handing a few to the both of them. "That one you have," she explained, tapping one of the ones Huey held. "Was from her first session with me. February twenty first, if I remember correctly."

"_February twenty first, two thousand three_," he read aloud before scanning the rest silently. Owen was going through his own pages, shaking his head.

"I don't understand this," he mumbled, causing Anita to glance towards him. "There's always an explanation for this type of phenomena. It's just not humanly _possible_-"

"Bonnie."

Her head snapped back towards Huey, who was holding the paper up and giving her a look.

"Jazmine mentions your daughter, Bonnie." He shook his head. "In this you say that she knew Bonnie even though they'd never met?"

Anita closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Even after all this time, her eldest daughter's death affected her. She could remember it as if it had happened just yesterday. And when Jazmine had been able to reacount it perfectly without even being there...

"Mrs. Price?"

She pressed her lips together before inhaling and sitting up straighter. "Bonnie was my eldest daughter." Her voice was quiet. Both men were staring at her so intently she wanted to slump into the floor. "I had a...very hard time conceiving. So when she came, I was estatic. A few years later I had a son." She took a deep breath before going on. "My daughter died when she was ten. She drowned."

Owen grimaced. Huey frowned.

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. But that's not why I'm telling you." She tapped the file. "That first day I met Jazmine she was able to tell me who Bonnie was and how she died. She even told me Bonnie wanted me to stop blaming myself for her death. I was in shock-"

"Hold up." Owen held up a hand. "You mean to tell me this nutcase-"

"Owen," Huey snapped, gritting his teeth. "I swear if you don't just shut up-"

"She wasn't a nutcase." Anita shook her head. "She knew about how difficult it was for me to have children. She knew that my first child was stillborn." She shook her head. "That little girl knew _everything_."

Both of them were staring at her, practically frozen. Finally, Owen sighed.

"I'm sorry, but that's just too..._bizarre _for me to believe," he said, shaking his head. "There has to be another explanation. She said she didn't know your daughter but she honestly could have been making it up. Children enjoy getting attention however-"

"Jazmine was born in September of ninety four, if I recall."

"September ninth," Huey affirmed, nodding. She leveled them both with a look.

"Well, my Bonnie was dead August nineteenth in ninety two. Two years before she was born."

_That _got their attention. Huey's eyebrows shot up so far they almost hit his hairline. Owen's jaw dropped.

Anita pressed her lips together, considering her words before going on. Now that she was sure they were at least partial to the idea it wasn't as difficult to talk about. "She was fragile." She shook her head, remembering. "She was bullied shamelessly. Her parents, they had to take her out of public school after she was cornered on the playground by three little boys and beaten up. That was when she was sent to me. Other doctors had prescribed her medications for anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsession compulsive disorder and dissociative disorder. I knew she didn't need any of it. I took her off of it. She proved to me that she was real, and in return I treated her like a normal human being. I think I was the first person who truly did."

"What about her parents?" Huey asked quietly. She shrugged.

"Well, her parents loved her, of course. They were so worried about her. And them believing she needed help was completely understandable." She folded her hands again. "You don't see things like this every day, Mr. Freeman. You see it in movies, in television shows. Not in a therapist office in downtown Boston."

"Of course." His face was so unreadable she felt a twinge of annoyance hit her; she was so used to being able to read through those types of facades and see what one was thinking or feeling that it stumped her whenever she couldn't. And her not being able to was a rare thing. "So, you're telling me she could communicate with dead people?"

She nodded, then paused. Should she tell him the rest? Would it make her look any more crazy if she did? He obviously wasn't feeling this whole thing. "She also…" His head lifted. "She also saw incidents before they happened. Clairvoyance, I believe."

His eyes narrowed. Hers did the same.

"It sounds ridiculous, I know…but-"

"You're doing fine." His cell phone started ringing and he held up a hand. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Price…one moment." He stood up, heading for the door and pressing the phone up to his ear as he opened the door.

"What the hell do you _want_, Johansen?" He closed the door behind him, completely muffling his aggravated voice. Anita's eyebrow rose but she shook her head nonetheless, relaxing in her chair and giving the Owen guy a look.

"Would it be possible for you to tell me why you're here asking about that girl in the first place?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yeah." He glanced out the window behind her. "She's involved in a kidnapping case."

Her eyes widened. It always hurt her to see former patients in a worse state than before. "She never seemed like the type who would do something such as-"

"Oh, no. No, she's not _the _kidnapper." He quickly shook his head. "Sorry about that. She's one of the victims."

Oh, _that _was much better. She frowned, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. "Oh." She swallowed. He regarded her with a slightly curious expression.

"Do you actually believe in this sort of thing?" When she glanced back up at him he shrugged. "You know, psychics? Mediums…that sort of thing is just-"

"I never entertained the thought of paranormal phenomena," she answered. "If it can't be proven by science then I don't believe it. However…she's an exception. The only exception. I've had people with dissociative disorder, multiple personality disorder, all try to pull the same excuse. She came and I simply thought she was another one of those people. But she wasn't." She spun around in her chair to stare outside as well, scanning the city skyline. She heard Owen clear his throat.

"Do you...do you mind if I take that file?"

She shook her head, waving her hand towards him. "By all means."

"Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly, turning back around and staring down at the desk.

"If she's anything like that little girl I knew, then I don't understand why someone would do something like this."

"You know, a lot of people are having that reaction." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We haven't had many leads on this, but this Freeman kid just might be getting us somewhere. She's not the first victim by far but we're hoping she'll be the last."

Anita felt her eyes widen. She blinked at him.

"But you'll be able to save her, right?" When he didn't say anything she felt an odd pang in her chest. She didn't know why she felt so attached to this woman who she hadn't even seen in over a decade, but it was there. "Right?"

He shrugged, looking away.

"People are saying a lot of things," he said, his voice missing all traces of arrogance and filled with genuine concern. "Most of them are along the lines of "We don't know"." He stared at her. "But between me and you, I don't think she's going to make it. I think she's going to die, and that there's nothing we can do about it."

---

"Thanks so much for coming with me." Cindy offered him a grateful smile. "I really appreciate it."

He shrugged. "Don't mention it. No, really, don't," he added as she opened her mouth to respond. "If Ceez knows you went anywhere with me _voluntarily _then he'll know you wanted me to help you find a gift off the jump."

"I figured as much." She shoved her free hand in the pocket of her jacket, the other hand grasping the strap of her purse. Huey sighed. Usually Cindy and him were at each other's throats before they were even in the same room. Now she was so down he didn't even have the heart to pick on her.

The mall wasn't _too _crowded since it was a Saturday morning, but it still involved more people than he liked. But when Cindy had called him an hour before, asking him for a favor, he'd thought it would only be right to oblige. Then again, since she and Caesar had been dating for a good six years, he had a suspicion that she was well aware of what he would and wouldn't like for a birthday gift and was just roping him in to ask him about her best friend. Sure enough…

"So." Her voice was soft, so soft that he had to strain to hear her. "Have you found out anything about her yet?" When he shot her a look she winced. "I know you can't really talk about it. I just…I just need to know if she's okay."

He sighed. "I don't know."

Well he wasn't going to _lie _to her.

Cindy swallowed heavily, nodding. He'd never seen her so serious, not in his entire twelve years of knowing her. There had been the time her parents had divorced and another time her mom's ex was arrested on charges of domestic violence when they were sixteen but those times were so long ago he barely remembered them.

"You know what sucks about this?" Cindy asked, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at her. She wasn't even looking at him. She was more focused on keeping herself from crying. "She would never hurt anyone. _Ever_. And then, for something like this to happen to her…" she took a deep, shaky breath. "It sucks even more because if I knew she was dead, I could just focus on accepting it. But no one knows if she's even still alive. No one knows where she is. And you just keep thinking about it and thinking about it and it eats at you and-"

"Cindy." Huey glanced around before looking back at her, partly because he didn't want her getting all loud about it but mostly because she looked ready to have a complete breakdown. She ignored him, shaking her head.

"And the worst part is," she went on, mumbling. "She knew this was going to happen."

He stopped dead in his tracks, grabbing her sleeve to keep her from walking any further and tugging her back. "What did you say?" He asked, spinning her around. She sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve and shrugging.

"She knew this was going to happen. At least," she went on thoughtfully. "She knew _something _like this was going to-"

"Hold up." He grabbed her wrist, steering her towards a set of double doors that led to some employee hallway. He threw one open, all but shoving her inside and pulling it shut again behind them. Cindy shot him a dirty look.

"Aggressive much?"

"Whatever." He shook his head. "Tell me exactly what you meant."

Cindy swallowed, her hands dropping to her sides. "Well, Caesar and I went down to Florida for Jazmine's spring break since she left Woodcrest earlier than she'd planned-"

"Why'd she leave early?"

She shot him another dirty look. "Her parents told her about the divorce. She was pissed. She had a right to be." She snorted. "They left her in the dark for god damn ever about it and then expect her to be okay when she's completely blindsided-"

"Alright, alright." He held up a hand. "She left early due to getting mad at Tom and Sarah, you and Caesar went with her-"

"-and when we were there, Ceez saw one of those dumb fortune teller tents," she went on, reminiscing. "It was the night before we left and he wanted to try it out. Jazmine, she wasn't really feeling it but I convinced her to do it." She paused again, taking a deep breath and pushing her blond hair behind her ears before going on. "We went in, and the woman, I guess she was having a good day or something because she decided not to charge. She did each of us, from oldest to youngest since Caesar and I kept arguing over who should go first. So Caesar, he got some fortune about coming into money, which you know he was happy about, and then I got some fortune about an unexpected surprise…it was complete crap. At first I thought "No wonder the bitch is free. She obviously don't know shit-""

"_Cindy_." Huey cut his eyes at her. "You're off topic."

"Fine! Damn." Cindy rolled her eyes. "Anyways, since Jazmine was the youngest, she went last. And then, the woman…she got really serious."

He gave her an exasperated look. "Serious _how_?"

"Does it really matter-"

"_Yes_," he snapped. "_Everything _about this matters, Cindy! Do you really think I'd be asking you about your fake ass fortune teller if it didn't?" When she blinked at him in response he snapped his fingers. "Okay, keep going."

"I hate you," she mumbled under her breath. He shrugged.

"I'm used to it."

"Okay." She sighed, leaning against the wall opposite of him. "So, she just looks at Jazmine for a really long time. And the rest of us, we're getting all nervous. And Jazmine already didn't want to go in there, so she sorta got a little attitude. And I'm sorry, Jazmine's attitudes are just so damn _funny _because she rarely ever gets one-" After catching Huey's warning glare she stopped, switching directions. "But yeah, finally the woman just goes that she has something that others want and that others would kill for it. And that if she didn't watch her back, that's exactly what would happen." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "She told her that her time was limited."

Well, _that _was a far cry from coming into money or getting a surprise.

"And the thing about it," she continued, her eyes still shut. "Is that you could tell she was serious. Her complete demeanor changed. And Jazmine, I could tell she believed it, too."

"Did you believe it?"

She shrugged, opening her eyes and looking like she was on the verge of crying again. "I didn't." She blinked back tears. "I do now."

He nodded, leaning against the other wall and folding his arms over his chest, staring at the ground. He felt Cindy's eyes on him.

"One thing you've got to know about Jazmine," she went on, causing him to glance back up at her. "Is that there's always been something different about her. I could never put my finger on it, and I could never prove it, not even if I tried." She shrugged. "I don't know what that woman meant by her having something others want, but I believe she was different enough where someone would want her."

"What do you mean?" His eyes narrowed. "How was she different?"

"I don't know!" Cindy threw up her arms, ignoring the occasional tear that trickled down her face. She sniffed. "Like, she just had the weirdest intuition. She just had this odd sense of things that were going to happen before they happened. And then…I don't know." She shrugged. "She was just perceptive and intuitive and…you wouldn't understand." She shot him a dirty look. "You didn't know her like I knew her. I mean, she's compassionate and energetic and sweet, yeah, but there's just another side of her I don't think anyone knows. Not even me."

He could believe that one. Even when he and Jazmine had hung out sometimes, whether it was them studying under the tree on the hill or merely catching each other's eye in the hallways at school, he had gotten that sense that there was more to her. He'd just thought he read into things too much. There was even one time, a long time ago, when a series of events that had happened _had _made him think there could be something "different" about her, only he'd had to chalk it up as coincidences.

After all this, though…could he really say that anymore? Or was it safe to say that she was anything but normal?

"Did you happen to meet any of her friends down there?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. I went to her job. It was this cool wiccan store." She wiped her nose with her sleeve, making a face. "The people were weird, like her, but nice. Like…her. So I could see why she fit in there. And I met her roommate, her boyfriend-"

"Boyfriend?" His head whipped up at that one. "Her mom said she didn't have one."

"Alright, I'm exaggerating." She rolled her eyes. "He was a guy friend and he obviously liked her. She's not really a relationship person though, so she wasn't taking any part in that."

Being that Jazmine had always struck him as a girl who would be obsessed with dating and romance, it was a bit of a surprise that she was actually reluctant of that sort of thing. Cindy glanced at him.

"She had a reason she didn't talk to you more, you know." His eyes flickered back to the sniffling woman in front of him. Her blue eyes were red rimmed. "It wasn't just her purposefully avoiding you-"

"I know." He shrugged, letting his gaze fall back to the floor. "She said that whole thing with her grandmother took her through it, and she had personal issues-"

"No, _dummy_." Cindy rolled her eyes. His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I meant when we were juniors. Well, no, _you _were a senior." She gave him a look. "You never wondered why whenever it was just me, you and Caesar she never hung out? Or why you never saw much of her other than studying?"

"Not…really, no."

Cindy snorted. "Some observer you are. Okay." She pressed her hands together, sniffling again. "You remember how your attitude having, probation officer having, delinquent wife-"

"_Ex _wife."

"Whatever. Anyways," she went on, shaking her head. "She…didn't like Jazmine too much."

He blinked. "Cindy, she doesn't like _anyone _too much. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing." She shrugged, giving him a look that was almost sympathetic. "I just always figured it had to have sucked. Not being closer to her because your girlfriend told her to stay away from you."

His eyebrow rose. "Really."

She snorted. "I mean, it obviously means nothing _now_. I just always wondered if you knew."

"Well…I didn't." She smirked. "But even if I did, what help is it now?"

"What do you mean what help is it now?" Cindy gave him a "duh" look. "It could have helped you know more about her! It doesn't take you much to practically memorize every detail about me, or Hiro, or Caesar, or _Maya_." He glared at her. "Out of all of us, you knew Jazmine the longest, yet she's the one you know the _least _about. And if your ex wasn't so damn ridiculous then instead of having to ask me all these questions, you might be able to know something more about her _yourself_."

His eyes hardened. He opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, to tell her just how wrong she was. Only, the longer he turned the words over and over in his head…he closed his mouth, sighing.

She was right.

"I mean, come _on_." She gestured to him. "Your own _brother_ knew her better than you did. He was probably her closest friend other than me. Even when she went to Miami for school they called each other. Did you even know that?"

He wasn't a _complete _idiot. He'd went to Chicago for his undergraduate degree, but when he'd call home or went back for breaks sometimes Riley would have the phone pressed to his ear and Grandad would be complaining about long distance rates. Only whenever he'd found out it was Jazmine on the line he'd back off.

Even his _grandfather _liked her. It was as if it were humanly impossible for anyone to dislike her.

That was why for this to be happening to her and not someone else…it was still a pretty hard concept to grasp.

"You probably don't care about feelings or anything like that," Cindy said, sniffing. "But-"

"It's not that I don't care." He rolled his eyes. "It's that I _can't _care." She blinked. "What the rest of you aren't seeming to understand is that I lived across the street from her for seven years. Yeah, we weren't as close as you were, and I don't know her favorite color or her favorite TV show, but we grew up together. And if I _do _care, it's going to wind up interfering. And the last thing I need, the last thing _she _needs, is for anything to interfere getting her back." He glared at her. "So could you give it a _rest_?"

She nodded, swallowing.

"Good." He massaged his temples with his fingers. "Let's just get this present thing over with."

Cindy took a deep breath, slowly pushing of the wall and straightening the hem of her shirt. She sniffed, pushing her hair behind her ears and glancing at him.

"Does it bother you?" When he gave her a blank stare in response she shrugged. "That Maya chose a career over you?"

He looked at her like she was nuts. What was this, some heart to heart? A sappy moment off_ Degrassi_? When she stared at him with an expectant expression on her face he rolled his eyes.

"No." When she looked unconvinced he shrugged. "There were certain aspects that did, and I'm not going into it. But it doesn't anymore."

She nodded, adjusting her purse and heading to the door. As she rested her palm against it she glanced over her shoulder.

"I know we don't exactly get along." Her voice was soft, her eyes sympathetic. "And we're not going to be any better of friends after this." She sniffed. "But I'm sorry she did that to you. Even you don't deserve it."

He was completely caught off guard. How the hell did they go from discussing Jazmine's disappearance to Jazmine's closeness with everyone but him to the woes of his loveless life? He slowly nodded, dumbfounded.

"Um…okay."

She rolled her eyes, pushing open the door and not waiting for him to follow her. It slammed shut and he shook his head, leaning against the wall. Sometimes it was really hard to hate his best friend's girlfriend.

He looked up as the door flew open again and said girlfriend poked her head through it, her eyes sharp. "Sometime _today_, Loser P."

His own eyes narrowed.

Emphasis on the "sometimes".

---

When the phone rang later that morning, Robert Freeman groaned angrily.

"Now who the _hell _don't got enough sense to know not to call me during Wheel of Fortune?" he shouted to no one in particular, stomping towards the phone and snatching it off the hook. He stared down at the caller ID, his eyes straining. "Riley!" he yelled, shaking the phone. "Get yo ass down here an tell yo granddaddy what this phone says!"

"Damn, grandad!" Riley shouted from upstairs. "Ain't you got on glasses? What they for, decoration?"

"I'll decorate that ass with my belt if you don't do what I say!" he snapped back, shaking his head. "Shoot. Thinkin' your little Army uniform scares me. "Army Strong". I'll beat that Army Strong ass till it's raw as-"

"It say it's the Baltimore Medical Center!" Riley's agitated voice yelled back down the stairs.

"What the hell kinda doctor's office is open on a Saturday?" Robert shook his head. "Why ain't you answer it, boy?"

"You asked me to tell you who it was, not-"

"YOU BIG DUMMY! Hello?" He quickly changed up the tone of his voice. "Uh huh. Callin' for Huey Freeman? Don't you got his regular number? He ain't answering? That blockhead," he mumbled under his breath. "Well, what do you want?" He listened for a few more seconds before his eyes began to narrow. "Now how in the world you gonna call _my _house, raise _my _phone bill, yet you can't tell me my own grandson's medical records?" He listened more. "Privacy reasons? You want privacy? I cleaned his little infant ass when he went and shitted everywhere _and _dealt with his colicky tail while his parents were off…you're getting out his file now? Thank you." He snorted. "Shoot. I dun raised the boy from diapers to diplomas and they gon try to tell _me _bout privacy? Heh. Wish the white man would-"

"Grandad, what are you _talking _about?" Riley mumbled, coming down the stairs and rubbing his eyes. Grandad gave him a look, smacking his lips.

"These fools talkin about…wait. None of yo business!" He gestured to Riley. "When is you gettin the hell up out my house?"

"Dang, grandad!" Riley glared at him. "Can't you appreciate yo youngest grandson while he here? Can't you be glad to treasure these precious moments with me?"

"Hell. No." He shook his head, lifting his chin. "It is way too peaceful with ya'll gone. The neighbors _finally _ain't afraid to walk past."

"An you think dat's good?" Riley shook his head. "Niggas gotta be scared, grandad! Dat's how you know ain't nobody gonna mess with you!"

"Boy, the only one messing with me is _you_. And this _phone_." He glared at the receiver. "How long ya'll gon have me on hold! Got me missin _all _my shows! Hello? Oh, yes, I'm here." He rolled his eyes. "Now, what are ya'll trying to talk me to death about?" He exhaled through his nose, sitting back in his recliner. Riley shook his head, yawning.

Old people.

After a few moments of silence Robert's eyebrows drew together.

"What the hell you mean his potassium and sodium's low? So the boy need more bananas and potato chips, what you want me to…his glucose is low? Oh, my goodness," he moaned, clutching the phone. "We gotta diabetic in the family!"

"Huey's got diabetes?" Riley made a face, smacking his lips. "Damn. Ain't _nothin _gansta bout diabetes."

"Why, god, why?"

"I mean, unless he got tha type where he inject himself, cuz then it look like he do drugs. Dat's kinda gansta, I guess-"

"Now he gon be blind and losin his limbs and his kidneys and…you don't think it's diabetes? Hmm." Robert scratched his head. "Then what's wrong with the boy?" After a few more seconds he sighed, shrugging. "Alright. Well, I'll see if I can reach him. Don't call here no more!" He yelled before slamming the phone down, dusting his hands off. Riley gave him a look.

"So what's wrong wit him?"

"Hell if I know!" Robert threw up his hands. "Shoot, they don't even know. He was all blah blah low sodium and potassium, blah blah can't reach Huey blah blah gotta run more tests, shyiat. Probably sayin all that bullshit to make an extra buck. You know the white man. Getting rich off…wait." He stopped, blinking. "What was the question?"

Riley blinked. "Grandad, ain't nobody asked nothin."

"Oh. Well, whatever. Now get the hell on!" He flipped the channel, grinning. "Bout to watch me some _I Love Lucy_. Mmhmm. Better than that _I Love New York_…I'd love to whoop her ass!"

Riley shook his head. "Nigga, you old."

"Shut up and call yo brother! Ain't got time to be playin with ya'll."

The younger Freeman rolled his eyes, going back up the stairs.

---

_"You've got to look at the camera, dummy."_

_"Get that thing out of my face!" _

Huey rolled his eyes, resting his face on his palm as he watched the old DVD play across the screen. He probably hadn't watched any of them since…actually, never. Maya had been the one fascinated with filmmaking. She'd taken any opportunity to make a movie, whether it was someone's first surgery or first pack of Dunkaroos. When she'd left she'd taken nearly everything, but her collection of homemade DVDs had stayed. He supposed she didn't need them in Japan where she was being paid to film as opposed to just doing it for free.

_Did _he miss her? No. His eyes narrowed as someone grabbed the camera and focused it on her face. She was laughing, pushing her dark hair behind her ears and shielding her face with her hand. Now that he realized it, he was the one who had done that. He remembered the next part as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. It was Maya, Caesar, Hiro, Jazmine, and Cindy's high school graduation. Maya's mother had accidentally recorded an hour of a _Goodtimes _marathon over the first hour of it, so no one had bothered watching it. For some reason it hadn't been thrown away.

_"What's so interesting about this damn thing?"_

She rolled her eyes, smirking. The sunshine temporarily caused the screen to glow white, but then it was back on her. She shook her head.

_"You wouldn't understand and I don't feel like explaining it to you." _She reached for the camera but it only back up more. She shook her head, the tassel from her graduation cap flapping in her eyes.

_"Try me."_

She took a deep breath. Huey shook his head.

_"It's something about being able to catch people's emotions on film," _shesaid softly, her face somewhat serious._ "When people look at themselves they only see what they want to. A camera isn't biased. It doesn't show you what you want. It shows you how things really are. It shows you what's real."_

He didn't even realize until after she was done that he'd mouthed every word. He sucked his teeth, grabbing the remote. This was stupid. If he would have known there was so much of her on this CD then he would have skipped to…he stopped, sitting up straighter as the camera was once again on a younger him, who was rolling his eyes and covering his face with his program.

_"Go harass someone else with that shit, Maya."_

_"Fine! Geez, you're the worst boyfriend ever...hey, Jazzy F. Baby!"_

_"Don't _call _me that!"_

The camera swam in and out of focus before settling on a familiar strawberry blond haired female, one who was turning around and glancing at the camera, a bottled water positioned near her lips. She smirked, her eyes landing on something out of frame. Her face brightened.

_"Hey, Huey!" _She grinned. _"I didn't know you were back in town!"_

_"He came to see us walk the stage and make something of our dull, dark lives," _Maya said from out of frame. Another voice, his voice, was next.

_"You wish I came to care about your dull, dark lives. I'm on summer break."_

_"He's lying," _Maya interrupted, the camera shaking slightly. Jazmine smiled softly. _"He came because he loves me."_

_"Ugh. What_ever_-"_

_"Well, it was good seeing you!" _She waved her diploma in front of the lens before turning around.

_"Wait!" _Maya's voice rang out. Jazmine glanced over her shoulder, blinking. _"Where you going to school this fall?"_

She grinned. _"University of Miami."_

_"Damn, girl! Whatchu gon be doin in Miami?"_

Jazmine pushed her rare straight hair behind her ear, laughing. _"Biomedical Engineering."_

_"Holy shit. What the fuck is __that__?"_

_"It's my major, dummy!" _She laughed more, her eyes closing and her fingers around some chain that was around her neck that had a charm hanging from the end. He quickly paused the screen, leaning in closer and straining his eyes to make it out.

It was a septagram. The exact symbol the victims had carved in their chests.

He backed up, grabbing her file he'd managed to wrestle from Owen when they'd gotten back to D.C. and flipped through it, pressing play and listening to it continue as he scribbled on one of the pages in concentration. He could hear his phone ringing in the other room and from the sounds of the ringtone it was Grandad. He ignored it. He was not in the mood to deal with him right then-

"_Crap_!"

He glanced up at the screen as the camera shifted in time to show Jazmine spilling her entire bottle of water on the front of her graduation gown after someone bumped into her. The camera shook from Maya's laughing and the wet girl shot her a glare. _"My b! You gotta admit it was kinda funny…"_

_"Hilarious."_

Huey started to return his attention to his notes, only for some reason he kept watching. Maya turned the camera slightly so that it was on him again and said something. He said something back, shrugging, but that wasn't what he was paying attention to. Instead he was glancing at the left corner of the screen, where Jazmine had taken off her dark green robe and was frowning at the water stain on it. She glanced around, as if looking to see if anyone was around.

As if…someone were around to witness something.

His eyebrows drew together. The majority of people were still near the stage, a few stragglers here and there in small groups, all of their attention diverted. Jazmine bit her lip, as if contemplating something.

And then, so fast that he almost didn't spot it, she was picking up the empty water bottle and turning away so that the front of her was hidden. When she turned back around a few seconds later, the bottle was back to being half full, her robe completely dry.

Wait…what the fuck was what?

He rewound it, blinking in disbelief. He pressed play again, practically holding his breath as once again her gown was miraculously dry, her water bottle coincidentally full. He wasn't one to show emotion, but his jaw dropped, his eye widening.

"Holy. Fucking. Shit." He paused the movie, leaning back in his spot. "What the hell was _that?_"

He knew what it was. It was exactly what Sarah had said it was. It was exactly what Jazmine's old therapist had been talking about. It was a part of that "special something" that Cindy said she possessed. It was, most likely, the main reason she was missing in the first place.

That meant…if she could do…_whatever _she'd just done, then the other stuff had to be true. Seeing the future…seeing the dead…

And if it were possible for _her _to see them…he exhaled out his nose, shaking his head in complete shock. This kind of thing wasn't real. It just didn't _happen_.

And yet…

Huey took another deep breath, glancing up at the ceiling. He couldn't believe that he was about to do this, but…

"Um…hello?" He felt like a complete idiot when his words were met by silence. "Jazmine's grandmother?"

Nothing. He inwardly groaned.

"Look," he snapped impatiently. "I don't know if you're real or if I'm losing it and talking to myself. Honestly at this point, it just doesn't even matter. So if you had no problem showing up all these other times I didn't want you to then the least you could do is come _now_." When the apartment remained quiet he rolled his eyes.

"That was stupid-"

"We usually don't come when people call us."

He blinked, slowly turning his head to his right and trying not to jump _too _much when he saw Jazmine's grandmother sitting on the opposite end of the couch, her legs crossed and her expression filled with amusement. He glanced away, swearing.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Wow. Is your language always so crude?" The woman's piercing green eyes narrowed. "Honestly, child."

"I'm not a child," he snapped. "And you're not alive."

She nodded.

"And somehow…somehow I'm talking to you."

"You're right." She shrugged, nodding again and resting her arm on the back of the couch. "You are."

He regarded her with a wary look. "I don't believe in this sort of thing."

To his surprise she tilted her head back and laughed. Her voice echoed richly through his ears.

"That's why you call upon a ghost to help you, right?" She asked, wiping the corner of her eye. He gave her a cool look.

"I just wanted to see if it would work. It doesn't prove anything." He frowned, glancing at the floor. "My health's been a bit…off lately."

"You do know why you have to find her, right?" His eyes shot up and he stared at her. She was now staring at him with a serious expression. He gave her an incredulous stare.

"I'm not a moron, of course I do." He shook his head, resting his hands on his knees. "Her parents, her friends, and everyone I know is counting on me to. And she doesn't know it but she's counting on me as well. I can't just let them all down."

She stared at him, sighing.

"It's no coincidence."

He blinked. "What isn't-"

"You being the last person she called that night." She clasped her hands together, a strand of brown hair falling into her eyes. "It wasn't accidental." When he continued to look confused she straightened.

"Her time, it's limited." Her eyes bore into his. "And so is yours."

His eyes narrowed. He felt as if someone had punctured a hole in his lungs, feeling them deflate like a balloon. He inhaled sharply.

"What?"

"You don't have much time yourself." Jazmine's grandmother looked uncomfortable. "I can't say much else. I can't tell you…_why _it is that way. But the easiest way to survive is if you find her. Because at this point she's the only one who knows what's wrong with you."

"If you know so damn much," Huey snapped, his anger kicking into high gear. "Then why don't _you _tell me?"

"Because I'm not even supposed to be here!" she shot back, making him fall silent. "You're not a medium. You don't possess any hint of psychic abilities. You're a _mortal_." She said the word as if it left a funny taste on her tongue. "And the only way mortals can see ghosts is if one allows themselves to be exposed. And unfortunately this isn't a circumstance that me exposing myself would be seen as acceptable."

"What, not being able to help save your own _granddaughter_?"

"It's not that simple." She cut her eyes at him. "There's rules to follow. This world is for the living and we're not supposed to leave our mark. If we were to interfere whenever we pleased then the world would be thrown into even more chaos than it already is. You think things are messed up the way they are now? Imagine how they would be if the dead decided to interfere."

She did have a point. "Then why did you bother coming in the first place?"

She rested her hands in her lap, appearing nervous and biting her lip. It was a bit amusing to watch since that was also a habit Jazmine had. It was a bit more amusing that he actually remembered that. He shook his head as she finally opened her mouth.

"You've proven yourself." She looked as if she were choosing her words carefully. "You may not be aware of it, but you are probably the only mortal on this earth who wouldn't use her powers for personal gain. The only one who can be trusted."

As flattering as all that was…"How did I manage to do that?"

She paused. "You don't need to worry about it. The point is that you did." She sighed. "I came because there's something bigger than you and me out there. Something bigger than us all. I can't…go into the matter. But this thing, it's going to need her to stop it. And she won't be able to do it if she's dead."

"Why her?"

She snorted. "This may not mean much to you and you won't understand what I'm saying when I tell you this, but she's a seventh generation seer. Of our line she is one of two who can communicate with the dead. And she is the first known telekinetic not just in our family…but the first one I've ever come across." She leveled him with a look. "There's no telling what else she can do that even she's not aware of yet. It is her responsibility to help keep the astral plane at balance. She's not just some witch. She's the reason many people are still alive. She's the reason _you're _still alive."

"Me?" He paused. "What the hell does she have to do with me?"

The woman practically laughed, although there was no humor in her tone. "You silly, silly boy." She leaned back again. "She has everything to do with you."

He looked towards the floor, his eyebrows knotted in confusion. "Whatever."

"It's alright." She shrugged, not seeming phased by his doubt. "You don't understand. And truthfully it's better if you don't. It's better for the both of you."

"Okay, you're talking in circles." He threw up his hands. "You can't go from telling me that if Jazmine dies then _I _die, then go on to say you can't tell me what's wrong with me even though you know, _then _say how you're not supposed to interfere, and try to wrap it all up with "it's better if you don't understand'. No. _No_." He shook his head, glaring at her. "You don't do that."

The corners of her lips turned upwards.

"Don't you wonder why, with all I've told you about her, that she was the seventh person taken?"

Huey stopped. Actually, he hadn't thought about that. At all. When he didn't say anything she took it upon herself to go on.

"She's a seventh generation witch and she's the seventh victim. It's obvious by now why he wants her." She shrugged. "I wonder what that means for the other victims?"

He slowly looked up at her, his expression unreadable. She examined his face before sighing, closing her eyes.

"Jazmine knows this. And you have to know it, too." She opened them again, her gaze flickering towards him. "There are no accidents."

He didn't say anything. She nodded, frowning.

"I can't stay any longer-"

"Wait." His eyes narrowed. "So, when I've been dreaming about her this past week-"

"It's really happening." She shook her head, rising to her feet and shrugging at his wide eyes stare. "I couldn't explain why that's happening even if I tried. I have a guess, but I won't say."

"What's your name?"

She blinked, folding her arms over her chest. "Frieda."

He nodded, surveying her with look.

"And if she dies, then I die?"

She looked bewildered. "What? No!" She shook her head. "I said your time was _also _limited. I didn't say it had anything to do with hers. Hers is running low for the obvious reasons. Yours is dwindling because you're sick." His eyes narrowed from her words. "And it's going to take more than a simple blood test to find what it is." She bit her lip. "It's going to come to a point where you'll have to make a choice. And the choice you make could save her or it could kill her."

"Why in the world would I choose to kill her?"

"Not every situation is black and white." She shrugged. "You should know that."

He shook his head. "This…is a lot to take in."

"So take it in. Sleep on it." She eyed him. "Honestly. You need it."

He glared at her. She offered him a grim smile.

"You've heard this so much. I wonder when it will sink in," she said in a semi amused tone. "But you have to keep an open mind. And you can't ignore what you feel."

Huey laughed. "Wow, seriously?" He shook his head, snorting. "Alright, you might not known much about this sort of occupation, but you can't afford to feel."

"Right." She lifted her chin. "Like you couldn't afford to feel when that girl left you?"

His eyes hardened. Was she serious? He had to hear this from not only his friends, but a _ghost_? Why was everyone suddenly deciding to bring this up? "It was mutual."

"It didn't start that way." She rolled her eyes. "It became that way after you decided that it would be much easier than admitting how much it hurt to actually put your energy into a marriage that didn't work-"

"Yeah, and that has absolutely nothing with Jazmine, so you can go now. Thanks." He snorted. "How do you even know about that?"

She shook her head, her eyes sympathetic. Which didn't annoy him too much.

_Not_. He liked sympathy about as much as he liked BET. In other words, he didn't.

"After all that's happened, do you really think I wouldn't?" She shook her head. "I know you better than you know yourself."

In the blink of an eye she was gone. He frowned, glancing at his clock and doing a double take.

It was ten after ten. More importantly, it was ten after ten on May first, which happened to be Caesar's birthday. More important than both of those facts was that it was ten minutes after he said he'd be at his place in Baltimore to help him set up for his party.

Damn it.

He slammed the file shut, flopping it down one the table and ejecting the DVD. As he went to put it back in the box he stared at it, turning it over in his hand.

This kind of thing didn't exist, at least not to a sensible person. But up here, on this very disc, he had proof. Intangible, real proof.

There were a lot of people who would want to get their hands on this type of thing.

He blinked, watching the light cause a spectrum of colors to wink across the bottom.

There were a lot of people who _would _want this, who would probably be willing to pay him god-only-knew how much. And there was also Jazmine, who had obviously gone through lengths to keep it a secret.

They may not have been the best of friends, but they were close enough where he just couldn't do that to her. That was why he tossed the case on the couch and took the DVD in both hands, snapping it in half. Satisfied, he took the pieces as well as the case it had went in and threw them in the trash as he walked towards his room to get ready.

Her time was limited. And unless he got on it, his was as well.

Goddamn. Could this mess get any worse?

_'Yeah,' _he thought to himself. _'It can. And it probably will.'_

_That _sure was reassuring.

* * *

Hopefully that wasn't _too _disappointing. :P

Um, a certain line grandad said was off a youtube video. It's funny as hell. I recommend looking up "Dear John Witherspoon, Do You Love New York?" and you'll recognize it. lol

Thanks for reading! Now review, foo's!

-Kelsey


	5. Fantasy and Reality

I'm super tired, so this is gonna be quick. Thanks to AngieT101, insert psuedonym, and MizzC for the reviews. It's getting harder and harder to prevent people from going OOC on me. lol.

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Fantasy and Reality

Denise Porter walked into the office, balancing her paperwork in one arm and a jumbo coffee in the other. Once she managed to wrestle the door open she sighed, taking a large swallow of coffee and dumping her things on her desk. It was only when she went to sink into her chair and enjoy the hazelnut goodness, the only good part about a Monday morning. She noticed the light to Huey's office open. She glanced at the digital clock on her desk, her eyebrows knotted. _6:17 _am.

Weird. Wasn't he supposed to be off?

Denise lowered the cup from her lips, walking over to peek through the doorway. Sure enough, Huey was sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a bunch of papers, photos, reports…it was as if someone's printer had exploded. She blinked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked. He looked up, rolling his eyes.

"Hello to you, too." He was writing something, his hand moving at nearly light speed. "Goodbye."

"Você não tem exames hoje?" she asked, her eyebrows lifting. He glanced at her, blinking.

"Não até mais tarde." He shook his head as he continued whatever he was doing. "Not that it's any of your business."

Her eyebrows lifted. "And you managed to learn Portuguese when, exactly?"

"When I realized no one else here would understand me insulting them if I used it," he replied nonchalantly, not even looking up at her. "Farsi's next."

She snorted. "You're like, one of the first people here. May I ask what you are doing at six seventeen in the morning?"

"No, you may not." His eyes were narrowed in concentration. "Good_bye_."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, turning on her heel. "I guess you don't want your messages from Friday, then."

"Nope."

"Okay." She shrugged. "I guess I'll just tell Maya no, you're not calling her back, I'll remind your loan collector that they don't even have the right to demand money of you until six months after you graduate and that if they call here again you'll kick their ass, and I'll let Lydia Kirkpatrick know that she's not gonna hear back from you."

His head whipped up at that one.

"No the hell you won't."

She smirked. "Who's Lydia Kirkpatrick?"

"A woman in Florida. No, not like that, stupid!" he snapped when her smile only grew. "Unlike _you_ I have more on my mind than-"

"Yeah yeah, I know, whatever." She waved her hand, rolling her eyes. "I'll give you her number if you want."

"Fine."

"But _only_-" his eyebrows lifted. "If you tell me what you're doing."

He gave her a blank stare before exhaling through his nose.

"What do you _think _I'm doing, Denise?"

She shrugged. "Well, since you're never this messy, you're either on to something or you've gone insane. Either or."

"Both," he replied sardonically, dropping his pen. "I think I know what this guy's up to."

She felt her eyebrows shoot up. She blinked in surprise.

"Really?" When he nodded she made a face. "How do you figure that?"

"Alright." He picked up his notebook again, scanning it. "I got the chance to get in touch with Jazmine's childhood therapist back where she grew up. She, along with Jazmine's own mother, are convinced that she had some kind of mystical power thing going on-"

"And you believe that?"

He shrugged. "Everyone else involved in this does. So until it's over I kind of have to in order to understand it."

He did have a point. She pushed off the doorframe, easing into the closest chair and crossing her ankles, taking a sip of coffee. "Go on."

"So, according to them," he went on, still looking over something. "She's the seventh known person in her family to possess these powers, better known as a seventh generation. She was also the seventh person to be taken." He grabbed another page. "I backtracked and went through some transcripts from conversations held with people in relation to the other victims-"

"A _few_?" She eyed the floor. He sucked his teeth.

"Shut up." He shook his head before continuing. "Of course, since there's not too many people willing to look at this from a supernatural standpoint and approach it logically, the majority of the conversations were deemed irrelevant. Only, when you look at what closer relatives say, quite a few of them mention unexplainable instances that would imply they each possessed something that set them apart from others."

"In this case, I'm assuming they were insinuating that they all had powers," Denise clarified for personal benefit. When he nodded her eyes narrowed. "But what does that have to do with any of that seventh generation reasoning?"

"Well Raven Waters, the sixth victim, was apparently the sixth person to be known to have powers, according to her aunt," he explained, resting his elbows on his knees. "The first one, Katie Saunders, her mother mentioned in passing that she could do things that no one else could and that she was the only one in the family that was known to be able to. She was also the first person taken. None of the other victim's families mention if anyone else in the family could do the things they could or not but they do suggest that they were into some sixth sense shit. So, I'm working on a big assumption here, but if the first person taken was the only person in her family like this, the sixth person was the sixth, and the seventh person the seventh then it obviously has some sort of significance."

Denise nodded, pressing her lips together. He eyed her.

"You think I'm full of shit."

"A little," she admitted before shrugging. "I also think you're on to something being that your theory's the only one that shows any possible correlation between these women. But still, what would be the culprit's motive?"

"Easy." He snorted. "It's like money. People fight, cheat, and kill for it. Money signifies power." He shrugged as well. "To someone who's embedded in this occult stuff, power is probably the same way. Either he's insane enough to believe that killing women with abilities will give him their power, or he's insane enough to just want to kill women with a paranormal background."

Denise swallowed, taking another sip of coffee. He picked up his pen, writing something else. She blinked.

"So, why would generations matter?"

"I asked myself the same thing." He held up a stack of papers. "So I looked it up. Apparently, it's believed that with every generation comes a power increase. There can be exceptions, such as a witch or…whatever you call them deciding to be non-practicing, or they're just not as strong. Once you get up to five, though, they start getting pretty serious. At least that's what this says."

"Huh," Denise scratched her head. "So what, freakish abnormalities are hereditary?"

He shot her a dirty look.

"Yes. It's hereditary."

She nodded, taking another swallow of coffee. All this _and _it wasn't even seven in the morning? Gross. "How long have you been here?"

He shrugged, glancing at the clock and yawning.

"Five. Five thirty. Something like that."

"Alright." She gave him a stern look. "As handsome and adorable as you are, and as much as I would enjoy staring at you and wondering what's under that shirt-"

"Overkill, Denise." He snorted, shaking his head. "Serious overkill."

"Whatever." Her eyes softened. "You look really tired."

"You know, everyone's been telling me that," he replied, sounding as if he were trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "And there's nothing worse than being tired and hearing everyone _tell _you how tired you look. Yes, Denise. I am tired." His eyes narrowed. "I've also got exams, I've also become some doctor's medical mystery, and I'm trying to prevent someone from being _murdered_. So excuse me for being tired and looking the part."

She frowned. He rolled his eyes.

"I start summer break Friday so I'll get some sleep then, _okay_? Don't harass me; you're worse than my grandad."

She nodded. Usually she ignored his requests and said whatever the hell she wanted. After all, she couldn't be fired unless he wanted to be out of a secretary; he was so hard on secretaries and so precise when it came to how things were done that he'd fired the twelve before her, and it was before he'd even been there a year. So, after being told that they couldn't keep hiring people and warning him that he had to keep her for at least a year, she'd been hired.

Lucky thirteen.

"I'm sorry." She was like him in the aspect that she didn't do much apologizing, so it was pretty unusual to hear coming out of her mouth. "I really am."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

Whatever was as close to a 'you're forgiven' that anyone would get. She stood up, holding her cup in her hand and straightening her skirt.

"You want some tea?" She offered him a smile. "That dumb expensive organic caffeine free green tea you looooove so much?"

He rolled his eyes. "If you don't mind. Actually," he quickly continued, causing her to pause. "Just go ahead and get the hella cheap, super unhealthy, so-much-caffeine-your-heart-will-go-into-shock kind. It's probably the only way I'm going to stay alive for the next few days."

She nodded.

"And could you get Lydia's number for me?" he asked, glancing up at her.

"Alright."

"And-"

"You're pushing the niceness, Freeman."

"Excuse me?" He cupped a hand around his ear. "Were you just complaining about doing the job you're _paid _to do?"

"I miss the days where my only job consisted of staying out of your way," she mumbled, shooting him a sly grin. He shook his head, a hint of a smile on his own face.

"I was just going to say to take phone messages until twelve, unless that's _too much_."

"You're killing me." She walked out the office, shaking her head. "Bye."

As she walked towards the elevators she couldn't help but reflect over what he'd just told her. Was that sort of thing really possible? Were people really inclined towards the supernatural?

Usually she'd say no. But he was on to something.

In order to beat the killer, they'd have to think like him.

Only how far would they go before the lines between reality and the bizarre became so ambiguous that they wouldn't be able to tell the difference?

* * *

"How'd your exams go?" Caesar asked later that evening, taking a huge bite of his meatball sub. Huey shrugged, picking at his salad.

"Oh, I probably failed." His tone was casual. "Wanna pass the ranch dressing this way?"

"Nigga, boo." Riley was talking with his mouth full, spraying food bits all over the table. The other two men gave him disgusted looks. "He always be sayin' dat shit. Last semester he said he failed? Nigga gotta one hundred two."

"Well, last time, I didn't fall asleep near the end before I finished the last fifteen questions," Huey replied sourly. Both Caesar and Riley made faces. "So, yeah. I'm pretty sure I failed."

"Well…how many questions were on it?" Caesar asked. Huey frowned.

"Twenty."

"Damn," both men breathed. He shrugged.

"I'm still going to pass. Her final's not worth as nearly as much as everything else." He rested his face in his hands. "I really don't care at this point. That forty minute nap was the best thing that's happened to me lately."

"Damn. That's messed up." Caesar shook his head. "We gotta get you laid, man."

Huey's head shot up. "What?!"

"I said…you got it made, man!"

His eyes narrowed. "No you didn't!"

"Ya'll niggas stupid." Riley burped, pounding himself in the chest. Caesar gagged.

"Ew, Riley. You can smell that shit."

"Then hold yo breath, nigga!"

"So, how long are you gonna be in Afghanistan again?" Huey asked, trying to change the subject. Riley sighed.

"Nine months." He took another mouthful of his burger and chewed heavily. "I ain' eve mad, forreal. Some of dem niggas gotta go there for a year, then they gotta go somewhere else. Me, I can just bring my ass back home for a while when it's done."

"If you keep that nasty ass burping up they might send you home sooner," Caesar joked. Riley snorted.

"Shut up."

"So, Huey." Caesar swallowed heavily, giving him a suspicious look that the afro wearing man recognized before he could even open his mouth. "About Jazmine-"

"No." He shook his head, glaring at him. "No no _no_. I told you I can't talk about it!"

"It's not necessarily talking about the case!" Caesar pointed out, grinning. "It's you talking about your _friend_."

He exhaled through his nose, massaging his temples. Riley chewed thoughtfully, watching them both. After a few moments of sad, puppy dog looks on Caesar's part, Huey rolled his eyes.

"_Fine_. What?"

"Are you any closer to finding her?" he asked, his words rushed together. Huey shook his head.

"No."

"Do you think you're going to?"

"I don't know!" Honestly. Couldn't people be a little more creative with the questions they asked? He ain't wanna hear the same questions on a daily basis!

"Can ya'll shut up?" Riley snapped, surprising them both. He smacked his lips. "Dang! I really don' feel like talkin' about it."

"Well, _you _weren't talking," Caesar pointed out, grinning. "_We _were talking."

"He's right." Huey shrugged, giving Riley a look. "Just let it go."

He might not have been close to Jazmine, but Riley was. Riley hung out with her more than anyone else outside of school. She did everything from help him with his homework to braid his hair, and they were so tight that no one had better say anything bad about her if he was around. Not unless they wanted a busted nose. Riley was probably Jazmine's best friend, after Cindy.

In fact…Huey's eyebrows lifted.

If Riley and Jazmine _were _so close, then…

"You know what I'm realizing?" Huey said aloud, causing both Caesar and Riley to look at him. Riley snorted.

"Nigga, do I cur?"

"Probably not." Huey shrugged. "But I just paid for your food _and _I'm the one driving your ass back to grandad's, so you should at least pretend."

Riley rolled his eyes. "Wat, then?"

"I know absolutely nothing about Jazmine."

Riley paused, glancing at him. Then, he burst out laughing. Huey gave him a look. Caesar just shook his head, continuing to eat.

"I never understand how you find every other statement I say to be comedic." Huey rolled his eyes.

"Cuz, nigga!" Riley thumped himself in the chest. "You lookin at da nigga who know errythang bout her. And I mean _errythang_."

Huey looked skeptical. "Really."

Riley nodded, looking confident. "Yup."

"Prove it." Huey's tone was flat. Riley snorted.

"Aiight." He took a long sip of his Pepsi before going on. "Her birthday? September ninth. Favorite color? Fuchsia."

Huey snorted. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"Nigga, was I finished? Anyway," He went on. "She allergic ta peanuts, cats, codeine and iodine. If she had ta live in a time period she'd pick da sixties cause people wuz nicer. If she could cure one illness it would be AIDS, her favorite movie dat _Dirty Dancing _shit, her favorite dranks is Dr. Pepper an Cherry slushies cause she can't pick, an her bra size is a thirty six B."

"What the hell makes you think I wanted to _know _that?" Huey asked, wrinkling his nose while Caesar started laughing. "And…how do _you _know that?"

"Don worry bout all dat." Riley had a sly look on his face. Huey sighed.

"Let me guess. You went through her laundry when she wasn't around."

Riley frowned. "…You can' prove dat!"

"That's disgusting." Huey snorted. Riley smacked his lips.

"Nigga, don act like you won't all up in Maya's panties an shit!"

"For one, I did our laundry from time to time," Huey pointed out. "For another, we were _married_. And goddamn, what the hell is it with everyone bringing her _up _recently?"

"Whateva." Riley rolled his eyes.

"So what, did you like her or something?" Caesar joked, smirking at Riley. He shrugged.

"She was aiight." He gave Huey and Caesar a look when they both exchanged amused glances. "I mean yea, she was cooler then dem otha girls we knew and she looked aiight an all, but after awhile I just saw her like a sister."

"Uh huh."

"Sureeee…"

"Ya'll niggas _suck_."

"If you really want to know more about her then why don't you go ask Tom and Sarah?" Caesar suggested, swallowing. "I mean, I could try to help if you want, but I don't known nearly much on her as say, Cindy." He gestured to Riley. "Well, and this creepy motha fucka."

"Watchu say?"

"Guys, shut up." People around the deli were giving them weird looks. Riley slung his hand towards them, rolling his eyes.

"Pssh! Don nobody care bout deez-"

"Dang. I should've known ya'll were the loud ones near the back."

The three looked up to see a familiar Asian with messy black hair and almond brown eyes behind a pair of glasses walking towards them, grinning. Caesar stood up, beaming.

"My man Hiro!" he said excitedly, clapping his friend, Hiro Otomo, on the back and giving him a look as he stepped back. "Damn! Lemme find out you taller than me!"

"What's up, man?" Hiro squeezed into the booth beside Huey and Riley, smirking. "What you two been up to?"

"Oh, you know." Huey shrugged, glancing around. "Getting an education in an attempt to get the hell out of the vicinity of Maryland. You know."

"You should come out to California with me," Hiro suggested, flipping open a menu and gesturing to a waitress. "You'd love it. Aren't you out for the summer yet?"

"I've got a few more days."

"Now what if _I _wanted to go to Cali?" Caesar said, frowning and shaking his head. He sniffed dramatically. "I see how it is!"

"In that case you should see why I ain't ask you." He gave Caesar a sly grin. "I didn't want you to have to ask permission from your girlfriend-"

"Burnnnnn," Riley hissed under his breath. Huey burst out laughing. Caesar's jaw fell open.

"Oh, you know you wrong fo that one."

"I don't mean nothing by it. You know that." Hiro waved his hand. "But seriously, ya'll should try to make it out there in August. You know my birthday in August."

"And why should I do that when you won't even here for my birthday?" Caesar gave him a look. "You ain't call, wish me no happy belated birthday, _nothing_. Trifflin!"

"Well ain' nobody do nothing bout mah birthday, so I don't wanna hear it!"

"Riley, you were in _Texas_," Huey pointed out, snorting and digging his fork into the salad. "How the hell you figure anyone was supposed to do anything is beyond me-"

"Damn, nigga." Riley gave him a look. "Who puts salt on a _salad_?"

"In fact…" Caesar tipped his head to the side, giving his best friend an odd look. "When do _you _put salt on _anything_?"

"I don't know." He gave them all an exasperated look. "I just wanted some salt, alright? Damn."

"Dis nigga pregnant," Riley joked, making Caesar laugh so hard the couple at the table beside them gave them odd stares. Hiro shook his head as Huey glowered across the table.

"Aren't you cute."

"Don't I know it."

"Anyway," Hiro went on, sitting up and looking between them. "How's the old crew doing? Anything new?"

Huey, Caesar and Riley exchanged glances. Did he already know? Had anyone told him? His eyebrows lifted in suspicion.

"I see the look." He made a face. "What's with the look?"

"Um…" Huey's eyes narrowed at the other two, who were staring at _him _expectantly. Since when had it become _his _responsibility to inform people of the absence of their classmate? "Well, you remember Jazmine, right?"

"Of course! She was my prom date." Hiro grinned. "She came to California a year back too-"

"With Cindy," Caesar added. "I remember that."

"Uh huh, funny." Huey made a face. "Well…she's kind of missing."

Hiro's face fell.

"As in no one knows where she is."

He looked around at everyone's faces, his mouth hanging open. "You…ya'll aren't serious, are you?"

Huey nodded. The other two offered him sympathetic looks. He let out a low whistle, shaking his head.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"That…seriously sucks." He frowned. "How long has she been gone?"

Caesar shrugged, giving Huey another look. He sighed.

"April twenty fourth."

"Dang." He frowned. "I guess I can't give her the photos I got developed from when she _was _in Cali…I made doubles so Cindy could have copies too, Ceez."

"Ooh! I wanna see!" Caesar held out his hand. Hiro rolled his eyes, reaching into his jacket pocket and withdrawing a neatly folded envelope, handing it over to the ecstatic man. Caesar opened it and unfolded the flap, taking out a good handful of pictures and flipping through them.

"Blah blah sun, blah blah palm trees, beach…lucky bitches." He grinned at a photo. "Look at my baby, lookin like she on her model status-"

"Uh huh." Hiro rolled his eyes. "If you get them all finger printy and greasy you'd better tell Cindy it's your fault and I ain't bring them that way-"

"I wanna see!" Riley whined, snatching a few and looking through them. He smirked. "Who's the sexy Asian?"

"She's from Hawaii. She'd kill you if she heard you say that." He shook his head, his cheeks coloring. "That would be Hayley."

Huey, Caesar and Riley all smirked at him. Hiro stared back. Caesar snickered.

"What?" When no one said anything he glared defensively. "_What_?"

"I think this is the first time I've _ever _seen you interested in a girl," Caesar joked, laughing. The color on his face deepened.

"I've always had an interest in women!" He nearly shouted.

"Oh, I ain't disputing that." He waved his hand. "I just meant you've never really been…you know…" He gestured to him. Riley snorted.

"He means you ain' nevah been whipped."

"I ain't whipped! Shut up!" He handed the rest of the pictures to Huey who shook his head, flipping through them. "I hate you all!"

"Is this her?" Huey asked, pointing to a woman with jet black hair so long it almost hit her hips, tanned skin, and a big grin towards whoever was taking the photo. And if she was anywhere as whipped as Hiro then it had probably been him. He nodded.

"Yup!" He sighed, shaking his head. "That Hayley."

"Well, tell us!" Caesar threw a French fry at him, hitting the edge of his glasses. "How long have you known her? What's she like? Age, sign, location, all that stuff?"

"When you bringin the broad ta Woodcrest?" Riley blurted, groaning and grabbing his shin when Huey kicked him in it. "Ouch!"

"We've discussed this," he said, glaring. "Not all women are-"

"Broads, yeah yeah." He smacked his lips as Hiro rolled his eyes.

"Well, I met her in LA since she goes to the University of California; she turned twenty back in December. She's…well…" He scratched his head. "She's a bit rough around the edges-"

"Another one of _those_-"

"Riley!"

"What? It's true!" He rolled his eyes. "Caesar gots Cindy, who crazy as hell, an Huey had Maya, who was about as nice as a pair of prunin' shears, an now you gotta crazy one-"

"She ain't crazy!" Hiro argued, rolling his eyes as well. "She just doesn't take people's crap. She was like, the fifth youngest of thirteen kids so-"

"See?" Huey gestured to Riley. "What have we learned about judging others?" He did a double take. "I'm sorry, did you say _thirteen_?"

"Dayum!" Riley whistled. Caesar shook his head. "Her parents was _busy_."

"Well her dad was married three times, so that might have something to do with it." Hiro rolled his eyes. "Anyway…why are we even still on this? What the hell's going on with this whole "Jazmine's missing" thing?"

"It's exactly what you just said," Huey replied, still glancing through the pictures. "One minute she was here and the next she wasn't-" He stopped as his phone started ringing and rolled his eyes, trying to find it in his pocket. "Hold on." He pressed the talk button without even looking t the screen. "Hello?"

"Freeman." His eyes narrowed as he heard Owen's urgent voice in his ear. He made a face. "We've got a problem."

"Problem?" He glanced towards the other three, who were too busy arguing over their attractions to crazy women to pay attention. "What?"

Owen paused. "There's been another death."

He froze. "Wait." It was as if everything around him stopped, his own heart even ceasing its beating in his chest. "You can't be serious. She's-"

"No, not the Dubois girl." Huey couldn't explain the immense relief that flooded through him when he heard that, but he focused instead on Owen's next words. "There's another woman. She just turned up."

This _was _a problem. "So, he deviated."

"That or it's a copycat." For the first time since they'd been paired up Owen didn't sound as if he'd rather be talking to someone else. He seemed genuinely worried. "Can you manage to get to George Washington hospital in about twenty minutes?"

"Wait, it happened _here_?"

"Yeah." Owen sounded back to his impatient self. "So are you coming or not?"

"Yeah. I'm on the way." He ended the call, making a face. "I gotta go."

"Go?" Riley made a face. "Nigga, how ima get home?"

"Ceez, can you give him a ride home?" Huey asked, glancing towards his best friend. He shrugged, nodding.

"Sure."

Huey turned to Riley. "See? That simple."

Hiro frowned as he stood up, pushing in his chair. "Everything cool, man?"

"Yeah. Just some…work stuff." He said his goodbyes and was heading out the door within a minute's time. As he walked towards his car he stuck his hands in his pockets, frowning as he felt the fingers on his left hand brush against some paper that hadn't been there before. He withdrew it, his eyebrows rising.

He'd somehow managed to stick a few of Hiro's photos in his pocket, probably when he was looking for his phone. He glanced at the top one, which was of Cindy, Hiro, and Hiro's girlfriend Hayley making some silly faces. He pushed it to the back, glancing at the next photo, a sloppy snapshot of the LA skyline at night. He moved that one out the way next, his eyes landing on the final one.

It was of Cindy and Jazmine. They were both sitting on a beach towel on the sand, a stretch of blue sky behind them. Cindy was in a two piece, dark blue bikini, and her head resting on Jazmine's shoulder. She was sticking her tongue out at the camera with her middle fingers in the air whereas Jazmine was laughing, her legs crossed in front of her and a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes. She was wearing a pink and white shirt and a pair of shorts. He shook his head, pocketing all of the pictures and stopping. He blinked, turning around.

He'd been concentrating on the damn photo so hard that he'd walked past his car. Idiot.

He finally unlocked the vehicle, sliding behind the steering wheel and closing the door. He took the pictures out his pocket, tossing them in the passenger seat beside him so he'd remember to give them back. As he started the car he couldn't help but glance at the photo of Cindy and Jazmine again, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

_"Speaking of dating." She sat up, grinning at him. "So, when are you going to ask Maya out on a date?"_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Maya. You like her!" Jazmine shrugged. "So, you should date her."_

_"Didn't we already talk about this?"_

_"Maybe." She laughed at his facial expression. "But if I'm about to go on a date then I believe you should be able to do the same. Especially when you're perfectly normal and there's nothing wrong with you."_

_"There's nothing wrong with you, either." He shook his head. Jazmine stared at him, surprised. "What?"_

_"Really?"_

_"Really _what_?"_

_"There's nothing wrong with me?"_

_"No." He frowned at her. "And if you think otherwise, then you're an idiot."_

He snapped back to reality blinking in surprise. He quickly faced forward again, shaking his head to clear the light sensation that was running through it.

He was _really _losing it now. He was imagining conversations that he'd never even had! He sighed, pulling away from the curb.

He'd be lucky if he wasn't in a padded cell before all this was over.

* * *

"And here she is."

Both men, along with a coroner named Dru White, stared down at the table as the mortician lifted the sheet.

Both men also jumped a good foot _back _when the mortician lifted the sheet. Dru simply stared, pressing his pen thoughtfully to his cheek.

"God_damn_," Owen mumbled, his face turning green. Huey glanced at him as he covered his mouth with his fist, turning away and making strangled gagging noises. Huey shook his head, taking a deep breath to steady his own stomach and coming forward again.

"Has she been identified yet?" He asked. The man nodded, glancing at a chart.

"Isabel Hilton. Twenty-one. Born November first, nineteen ninety four, at 11:57 pm. Died May third, five seventeen am." He nodded towards the door. "Her parents are in the hall."

"If it _is _the guy," Owen managed from his corner, making everyone glance at him. "Then that would mean he's been in Washington this entire time."

"It's not." Everyone's heads shot towards Dru, who was shaking his head. He ran a hand through his curly blond hair. "It's a copycat."

"Copycat?" Huey blinked. "How can you tell?"

Dru stepped up to the mortician, reaching past him for a box of gloves on a shelf. He slid his hands into a pair of them, snapping the wrist of one before slowly lifting the girl's chin. He glanced at it before shaking his head.

"She didn't die like the others." He straightened, reaching behind him for some stainless steel instrument. "Their deaths were caused by dry drowning except for one. That basically means when they began inhaling water their larynx shut to keep water from entering the lungs. The only one who had water in her lungs was the fifth woman, Alicia True." He gestured to the body. "She was submerged in water but I believe she died of blood loss."

Owen grimaced at the symbol carved in the center of her bare chest, wincing.

"Something tells me that would do it."

"Not just that." Huey nodded at her neck. "They slit her throat, too."

"So now we've got _two _killers to worry about?" Owen groaned.

Dru shook his head, beginning to prod at her slit chest. Owen made a face, looking away. Huey's nose wrinkled.

"They've got leads on this guy," he replied casually as if they were at McDonalds. "They'll probably catch him or gather some suspects within the next couple of days. I don't think this one is any connection to the others."

"That's a relief." Owen swallowed heavily. Huey regarded him with a bemused expression.

"Would you like a trashcan?"

The older man glared at him. "I don't need your damn…oh, no…"

Huey jumped back as Owen suddenly doubled over, vomiting on the clean white marble flooring. A few specs managed to splatter onto Huey's shoes. He groaned, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Are…you serious."

Dru and the mortician exchanged looks.

"I'll…go get a janitor." The mortician shook his head, turning on his heel and heading for the door. Dru shook his head. Owen wiped his mouth with his sleeve, slowly rising to his feet. He frowned, glancing towards them.

"I-" he started before Huey held up a hand, shaking his head. "But-"

"No."

"I-"

"Please don't talk to me right now."

"Just step out," Dru said, continuing to inspect the body. Owen sighed, stepping past the puddle and heading for the door. Once he disappeared out of it Huey rolled his eyes.

"What did her parents say?" he asked, deciding to change the subject. He took a significantly large step away from the mess, standing near the girl's feet. Dru shrugged.

"The usual. There was lots of crying, a lot of "why would someone do this?" that sort of thing." He glanced up. "This definitely isn't the same guy. The other symbols all had seven points. This one only has six."

"Good for us." Huey nodded towards the hallway. "Bad for them."

Dru nodded. Both of them fell into a long silence before Huey spoke again.

"Has there ever been anything like this before?"

The blond looked up, pressing his lips together in concentration.

"There was a chain of murders back in two thousand nine," he said, smirking. "I guess you wouldn't remember those."

"I was fifteen, not five."

Dru snorted. "Well, there was this woman who was picking up hitchhikers and then stabbing them and leaving them on the side of the road for dead. She only got caught after the last victim managed to give a detailed description of her car. He managed to remember the license plate and called the cops. He died later on in the hospital though."

"Oh." Huey frowned. "So, out of all the people…who lived?"

Dru rested his elbows on the edge of the operating table, shaking his head.

"There were nine victims and nine deaths." He nodded as if reaffirming the information for himself. "Yup. Most of them were D.O.A. but a couple survived until they got medical attention. By then it was always too late."

Huey nodded, leaning against a shelf. Dru glanced up at him.

"I heard. About you knowing the girl." Huey looked at him. "I can tell you're probably trying to determine some odds in regards of finding the guy before he finishes her off." He turned his attention back to the body. "The truth is that nine times out of ten we find the person right after they kill someone else. It's sad, but it's usually a death that leads to us being able to save the next potential victims. So, we'll find the guy eventually." He shrugged. "But you should really prepare yourself. Just in case you don't reach her in time. And there's a good chance you won't."

He nodded stiffly. Dru checked his watch, sighing.

"I promised Ava I'd be home in time to help her cook dinner." He shook his head. "She's gonna kill me."

The pair fell back into their silence as Dru continued examining the body and Huey continued to get lost in his own thoughts.

* * *

_"I want you to try something."_

_She ignored him, choosing to keep glaring down at the floor instead. She heard him sigh._

_"I know you're hungry."_

_She was. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten. Had it been when she was buying summer dresses with her friend Kara from her astrophysics class? Had it been the day before that, when she'd been so busy studying for finals she'd forgotten to eat? Her stomach let out a particularly loud growl, betraying her silence. The man snorted. _

_"I have food, you know." He sounded as if he were enjoying watching her suffer, the sick psychopath. "I'll give you some. I just need you to give me information in return."_

_She closed her eyes, pressing her lips together. He sighed._

_"You're too smart to be acting so stupid."_

_"I'm stupid?" She managed, her throat aching. She swallowed, trying again. "I'm not the one who's holding someone in the middle of nowhere-"_

_"We're a lot closer to civilization than you think." He smirked. "Why do you think I've had to keep immobilizing you? If we were in the middle of nowhere then I wouldn't even bother." She didn't say anything. He tipped his head to the side, examining her._

_"The funny part is," he went on quietly. "That you haven't killed me."_

_She slowly looked up at that one, her eyes narrowing. He shrugged, his face covered by a veil of shadow._

_"It's true." He snorted. "That little stunt you pulled a few days ago only proves that you're capable. I could blindfold you since you only have to use your eyes, but I really don't feel like going through the trouble." He looked at her. "I'm wondering how your mind's working."_

_She slumped back against the wall, looking away._

_"The only reason you even have me in the same room at this point," she replied softly. "Is because you know I can't do anything at this point. Doxacurium tends to do that to you." He made a face. "Even if I did get you out the way I don't even know how long it would be before I regained muscular stability. It's why it's rarely prescribed or used in surgeries. No one knows how long it takes to wear off. Not to mention, I don't kill people. Sorry."_

_He blinked at her, leaning forward. "I knew you were smarter than you let on. Did you see all that?"_

_"No." She glowered at him. "I was a premed student." She considered her words. "I _am _a premed student."_

_He nodded, examining her. He finally glanced out an old, dusty window towards the night sky._

_"It's a new moon." He glanced at her. "What does that mean for you?"_

_She glared at him. "It means it's a new moon. It means the same thing for you as it does me."_

_"Don't play with me, girl." His eyes narrowed. "Now, tell me. What does it do?"_

_She stared at the floor again, studying the chains around her ankles. She sighed._

_"You become weaker." She ignored the smirk that she could make out and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "The closer to a full moon the stronger it is. The closer to a new moon is opposite."_

_"So, you're pretty defenseless right now."_

_"I've already told you." Her eyes were filled with anger. "I was defenseless when you decided to inject me with freaking muscle relaxers! It doesn't matter at this point."_

_He studied her more._

_"Tell me about your ancestors."_

_She slowly looked up again, exhaling through her nose. "Why?"_

_"Because I'm not the one who's at risk of being killed right now," he replied causally. She frowned. "Answer my question."_

_She glared back._

_"I said answer it!"_

_She visibly flinched, closing her eyes. "They were druids. They were from Ireland and Louisiana and my dad's side's from Massachusetts. I mean, what do you want from me?"_

_"I want you to explain to me how you're so powerful."_

_"I wish I knew," she shot back. "If I would've known that being this way would land me here then I would have locked my powers years ago." She gave him a look. "What do you plan on doing to me?"_

_His lips curled upward into a small smile. He stared at her._

_"Are you familiar with περίοδος στραγγίγματος δύναμης?"_

_She blinked. "No."_

_"It's Greek." He shrugged. "It's a power draining spell."_

_Her eyes hardened._

_"The thing is, it doesn't work on just any given person." He shrugged. "It takes a strong enough person to be able to survive it long enough for it to be effective. The first woman, she was much too weak. She died before I was even halfway through."_

_Her eyebrows lifted._

_"The second girl, she did better. Only once again, it didn't work. I wait until the full moon, the time when a witch is supposed to be at their full height of power-"_

_"I'm not a witch-"_

_"And they simply died." He shook his head. "Hopefully, you won't do the same. At least not until it's complete." He regarded her with an unreadable expression. "Something tells me things will be different with you. _

_She shook her head, closing her eyes. "Please don't do this."_

_He tilted his head back, laughing._

_"Do you know what I could do with your type of power?" he asked, wiping the corner of his eyes. "I could have anything I wanted. I could achieve anything."_

_"It's not that simple," she nearly whispered. He snorted._

_"What do you know?"_

_She didn't say anything. He snorted._

_"Are they on to me?"_

_She looked up. He watched her, a vein in the side of his neck throbbing. She shook her head again._

_"No."_

_He smirked. "Would you tell me if they were?"_

_She looked reluctant. Finally, she shook her head again._

_"No."_

_He sighed, shaking his own head. "You should learn to lie."_

_Her response was automatic. "I don't lie."_

_He checked his watch. "And I have something I need to do." He stood up. "So, I'm going to need for you to take another nap."_

_"Don't," she begged, giving him a pleading look. "Please don't. I'll stay here. I won't move. I promise."_

_"You know," he said, crouching down beside her and twirling a syringe around in his left hand. "The others said the same words. The first few times I was nice and listened." He smirked. "I've learned to stop listening." He grabbed her neck, pressing the needle up to it._

_"Am I going to die?" She whispered, causing him to pause. She looked like she was fighting back tears. "Like the others?"_

_He blinked at her, looking hesitant. After a long time he sighed._

_"You're not a liar, and neither am I." He nodded. "Yes. You are."_

_She nodded, wincing as he pressed down on the syringe. He let her go, quickly turning away and walking to the opposite side of the room. By the time he reached it she was already lying on the floor, her head turned to the side and her eyes fluttering shut. He shook his head._

_He couldn't stand her awake, even more than the others. The others he'd put to sleep because they were so busy kicking, screaming, protesting. He kept her asleep because she did none of those things. It was a lot easier to do this to someone who he couldn't stand._

_She was just too damn kind, even under these circumstances._

_It didn't matter. He couldn't let it get to him. She couldn't help that she had what he needed, and he couldn't help it that she didn't put up more of a fight. It was just the luck of the draw._

_He wouldn't have to feel guilty too much longer. Before he knew it she'd be dead and he could just forget her. Just like the rest…_

This time, it was her voice that woke him up.

Seriously. One moment he was dreaming and the next he was bolting up, sure that he'd heard her giggling in his ear. He ran a hand over his face, glancing around the dark room warily.

"It would be really great if I could at least get a warning," he mumbled, shaking his already aching head. And to think, this all might have been avoided if he'd answered his phone…

There was a quick flash of lightning outside, followed by a tiny rumble of thunder in the distance. He flopped back down, staring at the ceiling. There was another flash of lightning, followed by another giggle, this one stronger. His head whipped to his right.

It couldn't be her. No _way _was it possible. She was missing somewhere, not sitting in his apartment _laughing _at three in the morning…

"_Hey," Jazmine interrupted. He sighed from behind the paper._

_"Yes?"_

_"Why are you doing this?" The paper dropped down so that he was staring at her. "I mean, this isn't your problem. And it's not like you were obligated to help. And I'm sure you had better ways to spend your Saturday."_

_"Well." He shrugged. "Why are you doing this? I mean, it's not your problem. And it's not like you were obligated to help. And I'm sure you have better ways to spend your Saturday."_

_"You're mocking me."_

_"I'm not. I'm merely displaying the fact that your question can go both ways."_

_Jazmine stared at the ground, frowning. "When you see someone die," she said softly. "You can't just ignore it. When you witness it for yourself, it's no longer just the other person's problem. It becomes your own."_

BOOM.

The thunder had gotten closer now. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

Where was this stuff _coming _from? Why was he dreaming or seeing or _whatever _he was doing about things that had never happened?

He was losing it. He really was. Great. He was twenty two and already losing his mind.

_When you witness it for yourself, it's no longer just the other person's problem. It becomes your own._

Well, his fake memory had a point. He was in trouble. Big trouble.

Because this whole thing? It was _definitely _his problem.

* * *

Thanks for reading, yo! :drops on keyboard and snores:

-Kelsey


	6. Color Me Dead

Oh my god, the new season starts in EIGHT MINUTES!! AIIIIHHHH!!!!!  
Alright, so this is the first update I've done for this one in a while because I've been insanely sick. Like, seriously. It's ridiculous how sick I've been, especially since other than the minor things I don't get too many health problems, but whatever. So, for that reason, I beg forgiveness if this chapter isn't what you wanted it to be. OH WELL. :P

Thanks to xXMissJanuary1995Xx, AngieT101, instantLUNCH, and insert psuedonym for the reviews. And for goodness sake's the season premier's in SIX MINUTES! TURN ON YO TV, FOO!!!!! And (hopefully), enjoy this chapter :D

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Color Me Dead

It had started off as a good idea.

It was Thursday morning and Sarah had decided to take her mind off of her daughter's disappearance by doing some housework. Of course, she then realized that this was no longer her house and she wasn't going to do jack shit for that ex husband of hers, so she instead made her way up to the attic to make sure she hadn't left anything when she'd moved out.

As she'd felt along the wall for a light switch before realizing the light didn't work she groaned, rushing back down the stairs to get a flashlight. When she cut it on and migrated back into the attic, she shined it around the perimeter and made a face.

God. No one had been up there in _years_. Did she really want to chance it?

She took a step forward, aware of how hot and stuffy the air became around her.

Well, it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

It was funny how much things could change and how much they could stay the same. She examined the thick layer of dust that covered every box and piece of old furniture, their contents all so old and forgotten they might as well not have existed. She'd become a senator, she'd become an ex spouse, she'd lost a daughter. And this place…it stayed the same, even as everything else spun out of control.

She crouched down in front of a box near the center of the attic, making sure that there was an actual floor to support herself on before gingerly peeling it open and shining the light inside with curiosity. She snorted. It was mainly old photo albums from her own childhood. It hadn't been the best. Her parents had always fought. Her three brothers hadn't been _different _like she'd been. And instead of listening to her mother and being proud of who she was, she'd turned her back on the things that made her _her_. She'd turned on her mom. She'd taken her for granted.

And now she was dead.

There was a flash of lightning that lit up the far side of the attic. It had been storming on and off since two days before. At least it had kept the reporters all at bay so that the front yard wasn't swarming with them. She glanced up as another flash of lightning lit up the far corner of the room, revealing a radio.

Hmm. She wandered over to it, bending over and gently blowing a thin film of dust off the top, brushing the rest of it away with her fingertips. She wondered if it still worked. Sarah held up her flashlight to find the on button, pushing it in so that the radio came to life.

_"And you listenin to one oh five point five, the station that plays the same mess as everyone else. Shoot, we ain't gon lie bout it…"_

She shook her head, leaving it on and turning back to the stacked boxes that surrounded her. She made her way over to another one, grabbing it off the others and lifting the lid. She made a face at the dead spider that sat in the corner of it and shook her head, replacing the lid and pushing it aside. She pulled another one, much larger, to her side and carefully lifted the flaps, leaning backwards in case it decided to spew snakes or _living _bugs in her face. When nothing happened she lifted her head over the top, shining the flashlight in. Her heart sank.

It was a box full of Jazmine's baby stuff. She quickly closed the flaps again, rocking back on her heels and staring down at the floor, inhaling heavily. She'd come up to escape having to think about it. Did she really want to go through her old things?

_'I'm so tired of being here.  
Suppressed by all my childish fears.'_

It was the radio. She glanced towards it, frowning.

_'And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave  
Your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone…'_

Sarah took a deep breath, sitting up on her knees and opening the box again. This time she reached inside, feeling around and withdrawing a photo album. She sat back down, flipping the cover open and aiming the flashlight at it. She felt a lump rise in her throat.

_'These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase.'_

Everything was here. Jazmine when she was first born. Jazmine when she started crawling. Her walking, running, laughing…it was all here. Sarah kept flipping through the pages, even when the tears brimming in her eyes got too thick and blurred the photos.

There was Jazmine with Tom and his mother Ella. It was Jazmine with Tom at the park. It was Jazmine and herself, blowing bubbles. It was the most simple of memories, the ones that were always made yet always forgotten, that made it hurt so much worse.

_'When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears.  
And I held your hand through all of these years.  
But you still have…all of me.'_

The sad part was that she'd spent so much time not being close to her own daughter just because she'd been too high strung to teach her to be proud of her differences, like her mother had tried to do with her. All she'd remembered was how painful her own childhood had been and in return she'd put Jazmine through the same misery. She loved her. She loved her so much. And it was a shame that it took the possibility of losing her to realize how much she _did _love her.

_'You used to captivate me by your resonating light  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind.  
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams.  
Your voice it chased all the sanity away in me.' _

She set the book aside, reaching inside the box again. This time she pulled out a faded, folded up baby blanket. Her eyes widened.

_'These wounds won't seem to heal.  
This pain is just too real.  
There's just too much that time cannot erase.'_

She couldn't hold it in anymore; Sarah let herself burst into tears, burying her face in the still soft material. This wasn't fair. It just wasn't _fair_. How could this happen to _Jazmine_, of all people? She didn't deserve it. She was the last person in the world who did.

If she hadn't been so foolish and had taught Jazmine to accept herself at an early age would she have been so bent on going away for school? Would she have stayed closer? Or would Sarah still be sitting here in this spot, wondering where she'd gone wrong and if she'd ever get to see the only person who mattered to her alive again?

_'When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears.  
And I held your hand through all of these years.  
But you still have…all of me-'_

"Sarah."

She lifted her head to glance towards the doorway where Tom was standing, staring at her. She sniffed, shaking her hair out of her face and attempting to compose herself.

"Tom." She swallowed heavily, trying to think of some excuse. "I was looking for…well…" She felt her face crumple all over again. Before she could react he was walking over to her, getting down on his knees as well so that he could wrap his arms around her, and she was sobbing all over again, burying her face into his shoulder.

_'I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone.  
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along.'_

"It'll be okay," she heard him mumble, sounding as if he was on the verge of tears himself. "It's gonna be okay."

_'When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears.  
And I held your hand through all of these years.  
But you still have…all of me.'_

She shook her head as both of them let go of each other, averting their eyes. Tom jabbed his thumb towards the door, already backing away.

"I was just coming…to check on you…"

She nodded. He disappeared out the attic and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, catching her breath and glancing further down into the box. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted an unfamiliar, old book. She pulled it out, looking to the floor when a yellowed sheet of paper fell from between the pages. She scooped it up, tucking the book under her left arm and unfolding it. Her eyes scanned the title.

_'Freeman Family Tree, 1948' _

Her eyes lifted in wonder as she read it. Her jaw nearly dropped when she read the last name, connected by a thin line at the bottom of the page.

_Robert Jebediah Freeman._

How did _they _get this? She folded it again, tucking it inside the book and shaking her head.

This probably had nothing to do with what was going on…only something told her it was more important than she thought.

* * *

Owen was charging through the elevator doors the moment they opened, turning so sharply around the corner that he ran smack into a woman carrying a stack of files. He groaned, stumbling back while she let out a cry as the papers all flew out of her hands.

"Shit!" she yelled, crouching down and grabbing them off the floor. "Shit shit shit. Damn it. _Shit_."

"Denise?" Owen lifted an eyebrow while she glared up at him, her eyes icy. "Whoa. What crawled up your ass this morning?"

"I don't know, but I'm about to stick my foot up yours, dummy!" she snapped. "Now help me pick these up. I don't have all day to be playin with your ass."

"Ouch." He shook his head, crouching down in front of her as well and picking up a few sheets. "So, how are you doing this fine Thursday morning?"

"I've been better." She rolled her eyes, stacking the pages in her hands neatly. "This dumb ass ex husband of mine decided he wants to try and get some goddamn alimony. Dumb trick, I should've killed him when I had the chance. I mean-" she stopped, giving him an odd look. "Wait, did you just ask me how I'm _doing_?"

He blinked. "Um, yeah?"

She lifted her chin, examining him with a wary expression.

"Since when do you care about how other people are doing?"

"Since I…do you _ever _have anything positive to say?"

"No! I don't!" She stood up, letting out a groan as he unceremoniously handed her the rest of the paperwork. "Great. Now I've got to try and reorganize this. Huey's gonna kill me-"

"That's who I was just going to see," he remembered, snapping his fingers and starting past her. She snorted.

"Good luck with that. He's not here."

He stopped, giving her a look of his own. "Then where the heck is he?"

"Checked himself into the hospital this morning." She shrugged when his eyes widened. "He was feeling shitty but waited until his exams were over. Took tomorrow's early. Said he'll be back by Monday."

"So…" He tilted his head to the side. "That means…he _won't _be working on the case?"

"Ha. You wish." She held up the large stack of paperwork. "Why do you think I was getting this for him? I'm dropping it off." She breezed past him, shaking her head. "You sure are hell bent on showing him up, aren't you?"

"He's just a kid, Denise!" Owen couldn't help but snap, making her stop in his tracks. "He's not even old enough to be here!"

"Well, boss man hired him for a reason." Denise's eyebrow shot up. "Look, I know it gets your little panties in a bunch, knowing that a twenty two year old intellectually kicks your ass-"

"He does _not_." Owen snorted. "He's…smart, I'll give him that. But unless he's some certified genius-"

"Actually…" Denise lifted her chin. He clamped his fingers shut, shaking his head.

"Just…don't even go there."

She let out a low whistle, rolling her eyes. "Look, Sheldon. He's a good guy. He's a bit standoffish and has the emotional IQ of an acorn, but he's just here to do his job. Just. Like. You." She turned on her heel again, heading down the hallway.

"You know what I recommend?" she shouted over her head. Owen shrugged.

"What's that?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowing.

"Start acting less like he's your competition and more like he's your partner." She continued down the hallway. Owen watched her, smirking.

"Did I ever mention how much I enjoy watching you walk?"

Denise gave him a look over her shoulder, as if she were trying not to laugh. "Don't even."

* * *

The first day of summer vacation and he was, once again, in the _hospital._

"This _sucks_."

"Quit whining before I beat your ass, _boy_. Ain't nobody tell you to wait till the last minute to get help-"

"No, I meant this soap opera." Huey pointed towards the TV. "Seriously, Grandad. Could you turn to something beneficial to pay attention to?"

"I can turn my butt around and go home!" Grandad shot back, snorting and going back to his paper. "Shyiat. Betta learn to block things out like I did to you and yo brother for all these years."

He sighed. Grandad was hogging the remote, Riley had been deployed the afternoon before, and he had absolutely _nothing _to distract him from the daunting needle once again present in his arm until Denise brought over his paperwork. He'd already had enough blood drawn to fill a blood bank, he had a feeling one of the female nurses was trying to sneak peeks at his dumb backless hospital gown, and he couldn't even take the opportunity to sleep because every time he started to drift Grandad would start off some lecture that made no sense whatsoever.

Luckily, Grandad wound up getting too tired to keep bugging his eldest grandchild, falling asleep a good hour later.

Huey sighed, shaking his head and staring up at the ceiling, trying to tune out the annoying beeping of the heart monitor, his grandfather's loud snoring, the stupid IV drip…this felt so stupid. It had seemed like a good idea before, but now all he wanted to do was _leave. _While no one ever _loved _hospitals, he'd never been a big fan of them. Besides, there were more important things he should've been doing.

"Knock knock!" A bright voice came from the doorway. He glanced over to see a nurse carrying in a chart and a syringe. He grimaced. "And how are you feeling?"

He gave her an "are-you-kidding-me look" which she caught instantly. "Sorry. I didn't exactly want to burst in as if I hated my life when I was sure it wouldn't help you feel any better."

He shrugged. "Do what you gotta do, I guess."

She smirked, flopping in a chair beside his bed and flipping through the chart. She pulled a pen out her hair, biting her lip.

"Alright, we're just trying to cover all the bases here, so I'm gonna go through a list of the symptoms you gave us," she explained, glancing at him. "That okay?" When he nodded she smiled. "Good."

He rolled his eyes. Ugh. Cheerful types.

"So…" She ran her pen along the page. "Abdominal pain? Salt cravings?"

He nodded.

"Headaches, fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle pain, fevers, dizziness…" She shook her head. "And low blood pressure along with a low pulse rate. Geez, boy. What have you done to yourself?"

"Oh, you know." His voice was filled with sarcasm. "The usual."

She shook her head, rising to her feet again. "Well. I have here a lovely sixty mg dosage of morphine. It's not much, but it should be enough to take away some of those aches and pains you're having. Is that alright?"

Huey shrugged. He was just ready for her to leave him the hell alone. "Whatever."

She smirked, obviously finding his attitude to be somehow humorous. "So, I'm inserting it into your IV now. You're probably going to get really sleepy…"

He closed his eyes as the nurse left the room, shutting the door behind her. He tried to drown out the sound of the heart monitor, of Grandad's snoring, of everything…surprisingly, after a few minutes, it wasn't so hard to do. No doubt it was the morphine kicking in.

_"Japan."_

_She nodded, folding her hands neatly in front of her. Whereas most danced around confrontation, she welcomed it. Her dark brown eyes burrowed into his own, as if daring him to object._

_"You're…moving to Japan."_

_"No." She shook her head, giving him a look. "We're moving to Japan."_

_"But…" He blinked. "I'm not going anywhere."_

_She blinked as well. For the first time since their marriage, the first time since they'd known each other, they weren't on the same page. "Well, I'm not staying."_

_His eyes narrowed. "Then I guess we've got a problem."_

A particularly loud crash of thunder made him open his eyes so that he could glance towards the window, even though within moments he was losing consciousness again.

_"You only think about yourself!"_

_"Me? I'm not the one who's trying to force you to just drop everything in your life to relocate to a different continent!"_

_"And I'm not the one who's attempting to keep you from bettering yourself by taking an opportunity of a lifetime!"_

_"Because that's exactly what I'm doing."_

"Huey."

For some reason, it was taking a lot longer for things to come into focus.

_"The biggest rule, probably the most important, is that you never expose yourself to a mortal. Ever. If they discover the truth, you wipe their memory. If you don't do it, then you're the one who becomes responsible. You knowing what you know…in the long run, you could get her in trouble with forces even she doesn't understand."__ "_

"Huey!"

"Huh." He opened his eyes, yawning and assuming it was Denise.

"It took you long enough-" he stopped when his eyes instead fell on a woman who had her hands in the pockets of her knee length skirt, a serious expression on her face. She had hazel eyes, dark, thick eyelashes that matched her dark hair, and looked oddly like…

"Jazmine?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes and wincing at how tight his chest felt. That couldn't be right…the woman shook her head.

"Close, but not quite." She stepped up to the side of his bed, examining the various medical equipment and sighing, shaking her head. "Good gracious. This would be so much easier to do if you were not already hospitalized."

"What are you _talking _about?" He glanced towards Grandad to make sure he was still sleeping before staring back at her with raised eyebrows. "Who _are _you?"

"Someone who is trying to help you." She leaned over him, her semi translucent hair falling over her shoulders. She gave him a quick glance over, her eyes narrowing.

"I am going to make this quick," she said softly, her eye boring into his own. For some reason, she didn't freak him out like Jazmine's grandmother had. For some reason, she was oddly familiar…as if he'd met her before. Impossible. "We have four minutes. The last two depend on how long the doctors try to resuscitate you."

Well, there went the calm. "Wait, _what_?"

"You're going to feel very, very cold," she warned simply, her hands reaching for his chest. He blinked at her.

"What the hell are you-"

He didn't get to finish, for as soon as her fingertips came in contact with him he felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over his head. Fuck that, he felt as if he'd fallen into some frozen lake. Before he could even catch his breath his chest felt as if was tightening, his lungs pressed together so that he couldn't breathe…

And then, it was dark. He blinked, trying to bring his vision back into focus, but nothing changed. He felt someone take his hand.

"It is alright." She sounded strangely calm. "It just takes a moment to adjust."

"Adjust to _what_?" he snapped. Only before she could answer he could already see the darkness lifting from in front of his eyes like a curtain, spots of gray pulsing in front of him before there was a sudden burst of color. He winced, squinting. Finally, the light faded and he was able to fully look around. He blinked.

"Huh?"

He was standing in the middle of some odd looking shop. To his left was a set of doors that led to what seemed to be outside due to the bright sunshine filtering in. He squinted, spotting a few palm trees, a series of skyscrapers, and beyond all that, the wink of sunlight off a bright blue ocean. His eyes widened.

"Where _am _I?"

"Where the hell is the new deck?" someone shouted, making him spin around just in time to see a woman with a long, knee length braid coming towards him. Before he could move she was walking right up to him…

And then through him.

The woman shuddered. "Ugh. Cold spot. That damn AC." She walked behind the counter that he'd been standing near, dropping a box on the glass and tearing open the top. "Lydia, I can't find it!"

"Well, how the hell do you expect me to know where it is?" A much older woman with hair tossed up in a gray bun asked from the back of the store. She pushed aside a set of beads from the hanging curtain that covered the doorway and stepped out, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Greta. I'm the eighty year old yet _your _memory sucks-"

"Both of you quit whining." Huey nearly had a heart attack when the entrance door opened and _Jazmine _came in, carrying a box. Her strawberry blond hair was in a messy ponytail. Her lavender tank top was damp. She was panting, as if she'd run a marathon.

But she was _there_. She was alive. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat. She was breathing and so close that he could nearly touch her…

She dropped the seemingly heavy box to the ground and held up a rainbow colored flip flop that had a snapped strap, frowning. "I broke a flippy floppy messing with you two."

"Child, bring the cards over here and quit your babbling." The woman known as Greta rolled her eyes as Jazmine stuck out her tongue, picking up the box again. She managed to hoist it on the counter before wiping her hands on her shorts.

"I'm gonna go buy a new pair of sandals," she said, shooting Greta a dirty look. The woman smirked.

"Could you get me a black tea while you're at it?"

"No, but you could buy me a new shoe since this is your fault in the first place. Joking," Jazmine added when the woman frowned. "Fine." She turned her head, glancing towards the back of the store. "You want anything while I'm gone, Lydia?"

"Sure!" she yelled sarcastically. "An anti-aging potion."

"Funny." Jazmine shook her head, pushing the front door back open and rounding the corner. Huey rubbed his eyes, gaping at the door.

"What the-"

"What are you waiting for?" His head whipped to his left, where the woman from back in the hospital was standing. She gave him a "duh" look. "Follow her!"

He shook his head, starting to push the door open…he was surprised when a few seconds later he walked right through it. He glared at the woman as she stepped into the glaring sunlight beside him.

"What the _hell _is going on?" he snapped. She gave him a cool look.

"We have traveled back to a different time," she supplied casually. "We cannot stay long because the surviving human soul does not do well outside the body for too long. Not to mention that you are currently going through how do they say it? Respiratory failure."

His jaw dropped. "_Excuse me?"_

"It is only temporary. Calm down." She rolled her eyes. "The day is April twenty fourth. It is four forty seven pm, exactly seven hours before she is to be taken."

"So…what, we're here to stop it from happening?"

"No, stupid." He glared at her. "We cannot interfere in the past unless we are willing to alter the future. You need to understand."

"Understand _what_-"

"Hurry before you lose her!" the woman snapped, giving him a shove. He stumbled forward, shooting her a dirty look. Oh, so _she _could touch him.

"Who are you, anyways?" he asked as they started forward, rushing through the slightly crowded sidewalk. The woman snorted.

"Not that it matters to _you_, but my name is Anya." She gave him a look. "That is all you need to know."

"Whatever." By that time they were close enough to Jazmine, who had put on a pair of sunglasses and was talking to some hot dog vendor, that they could hear her as she asked the vendor for a hot dog. "So you brought me here to watch her ingest meat products?"

"Funny…keep looking."

The man handed Jazmine a hot dog. She thanked him, giving him a bright smile and picking up a bottle of mustard, squirting some onto her hot dog. Only as she turned around, she collided with a man, causing the hot dog to crush into her chest.

"Crap!"

"She's good at that," Huey snorted, rolling his eyes. Anya rolled her own eyes.

"Just watch."

"I'm so sorry." The man reached over to grab a handful of napkins, pausing when he realized that for him to clean off the mustard from her lavender shirt would mean he'd have to graze her chest. She gently took some of the napkins from him, dabbing at the stain.

"It's alright." She smiled. "Today's been a long day."

"Got that right." The man was probably around middle aged. He was wearing a simple white t shirt, some shorts, and a pair of old flips flops. A pair of sunglasses was covering his own eyes and a hat sat on top of what looked to be curly brown hair. He shook his head before pausing, his eyes falling on her neck. "Wow." Jazmine looked up. "That's an interesting necklace."

"Huh? Oh, thanks." Jazmine went back to the stain. "It's a-"

"Septagram." He offered her a crinkly smile when she looked up, surprised. "That's an interesting symbol."

She nodded. "I've heard that."

"So, do you know what it means?" he asked, making her blink. After a few seconds she gave up on the stain altogether, tossing the used up napkin into a trashcan and shrugging.

"Well, it's basically just another symbol." She shrugged again, looking casual. "I just thought it was cool."

"Hmm." He studied the necklace, nodding in a thoughtful sort of way. "That is true. However," he pointed out, holding up a finger. "It's also a seven point symbol for a powerful, completely planetary magic."

She blinked. "If…you believe in that sort of thing."

He smiled, nodding in agreement. "If you believe in that sort of thing."

She stared up at him, her expression unreadable. After a few moments of silence he shrugged, jamming his hands in his pockets.

"Is it for sale?"

"The…my necklace?" Her hand flew almost protectively to her neck. "No. I'm sorry. It was a gift from my grandma and-"

"I understand." He held up a hand, smiling reassuringly. "I've just seen several necklaces with that symbol, but never one as…" Jazmine shifted from side to side as he struggled to think of the right word. After some seconds passed she spoke up.

"Different?"

"Yes." He nodded, still smiling. "Different."

Jazmine gave him an odd look, nodding as well and starting past him. "Well, it was nice talking to-"

"The thing about the number seven," he went on, causing her to glance over her shoulder with raised eyebrows. "Is that it is the number of completion. At least, in witchcraft." He tucked his hands in his pockets. "There is a lot of power that lies in the seventh." He nodded towards her neck. "Wearing that symbol isn't something one should take lightly."

She frowned, her eyes narrowing warily.

"I don't," she replied quietly. He stared at her for a few moments longer before nodding, offering a smile.

"Nice chat, Ms…" he held out a hand. She shook it, smiling as well.

"Jazmine."

"Miss Jazmine." He tipped his hat, turning on his heel and continuing down the sidewalk. She watched him go, her hand traveling protectively up to her neck.

"You want another hot dog, sweetie?" the vendor asked, giving her a sympathetic look. She shook her head.

"I'm fine. Thank you." She shook her head slowly, turning back towards the store and slowly walking away, the fact that she was in deep thought obvious from her expression. Huey instinctively stepped back as she walked straight towards him. Only instead of continuing past she paused, her eyebrows lifting. Then, slowly, she turned her head so that she was staring right at him.

He froze. Her green eyes narrowed, but then she shook her head, starting forward again. His head whipped towards Anya.

"Did she _see _me?"

"No." She paused. "She sensed a presence, but she didn't see you. She can only see those who are already dead. She probably noticed me but chose to ignore me."

"Why would she ignore you?"

To his surprise, Anya looked amused. "You would not understand. She harbors resentment against me." She sighed. "I guess, in a way, it is justified."

He shook his head. This was all too bizarre.

"Was that the guy?"

"That," she affirmed, nodding stiffly. "Would be him."

His fist clenched. She noticed and shook her head again.

"There is nothing you can do now," she said, staring at him. "You cannot change the past. All you can do is fix the future."

"We should follow that guy," Huey mumbled, taking a step forward. Anya quickly grabbed his arm.

"Not enough time." She gave him a look. "You cannot be out of your body for too long. You will die permanently."

"Wait…_I'm dead_?!"

"You will be if you do not come with me." She eyed him, her nose wrinkling. "Goodness. You could not be any more different than him."

He gave her a look of his own. "More different than who?"

Anya shook her head, sighing. "Forget it." She took his hand. "Now, let's go."

"But-" he didn't even get a chance to finish before everything was fading again, darkness quickly descending over him like a blanket and the cold feeling was filling the void space around him. He felt Anya's hand slip out of his own as he seemed to hit a hard surface.

_"He's unresponsive-"_

_"Oh, my lord! Not the eldest! Why god, why?"_

Holy _shit_. The headache that hit him when he opened his eyes was enough to make someone want to cry. Luckily, he was able to contain himself. Instead he settled on groaning and slapping his hand up to his forehead.

_"Fuck_."

"Watch yo mouth, boy!" Grandad suddenly shouted, making him blink. "I don't care how close to death you came!"

"Close to death…?" Huey took the time to glance around the hospital room, his eyebrow lifting. He was surrounded by four different doctors, the one closest to him holding a set of paddles. The nurse who had been in his room before was standing at the foot of the bed, looking as if she wanted to cry. Grandad was beside her, appearing as if he were close to having a heart attack. "Um…what happened?"

The doctor who was holding the paddles set them aside, shaking his head.

"For some reason, you reacted to the morphine." He shook his head again, frowning. "It was at a low dosage, yet it was enough to send you into respiratory failure…we had to administer an antidote to stabilize you."

"Can _someone around here_ tell me what the _hell _is wrong with my grandson?" Grandad snapped, making everyone glance towards him. "Now, ya'll got too much education and accreditation and…all them other ations to not know what's going on!"

"We understand your frustration-"

"The _hell _you do!" he shot back, making Huey's eyes widen. It wasn't as if he ever thought his grandfather wanted him dead (well, not _too _often, anyways) but he didn't expect him to get so worked up over a situation like this. He sighed.

"Grandad, stop." Everyone stared back at him. "Not right now."

He set his jaw, shooting a glare towards the doctors, who stared back. After a long, tense silence he nodded, flopping back down into his chair and folding his arms over his chest as a doctor strapped a blood pressure cuff around Huey's arm.

"Betta be glad I feel like bein _nice_," he grumbled, shaking his head and turning to the TV. "Got my boy about to _die_…shoot, everyone'll be dead when I'm done wit em…"

Huey shook his head, trying to clear his headache, before glancing up towards the door. He paused when he saw the woman, Anya, leaning against the frame. She was staring at him, shaking her head. He sat up straighter, staring back. And then, she was gone.

There was _no way _all of this could be a coincidence, a mind game, insanity…well, insanity was always an option. But not this time.

He was seeing dead people. He was talking to _dead people_. And these same dead people were dragging him back in time! In all the physics classes he'd taken there'd never been any sort of method of time travel that had been discussed. This was just…crazy.

"So, do you have _any _clue what's going on?" he quietly asked the doctor who was loosening the arm cuff. He shook his head.

"You're very difficult to diagnose."

"Well." He snorted. "That's reassuring."

"Don't worry." The doctor offered him a small smile. "You'll be fine."

"You sure?" Huey mumbled sarcastically. Only he never got an answer in response.

* * *

Owen took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders and knocking on the door. Since it was almost nine and the hospital was less busy he hadn't gotten badgered nearly as much as he would've during the day, which was a good thing. He really wasn't in the mood to have to deal with people's crap. After a few seconds he opened the door, peeking his head in.

"Hello?" He opened the door wider. "Can I come in?"

He saw Huey look up from a notebook, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. His expression quickly smoothed over so that it was unreadable.

"Depends." His tone was wary, although Owen could hear the tiredness behind it. "What do you want?"

Owen sighed, stepping into the room and pushing the door closed. He held up the thick, manila file that was tucked under his arm.

"Denise said she was supposed to bring it over for you." He shrugged. "I told her I'd do it."

Huey sat up, looking even more reluctant than before.

"And why would _you _volunteer to do that?"

Owen rolled his eyes. "I felt like being nice, alright?" When Huey snorted in response he lifted an eyebrow. "Something's off."

The afro wearing man rolled his eyes. "Do you mean the fifty needles sticking in my veins or the fact that you haven't said anything that's made me want to pummel you into oblivion?"

"You…should really get those anger issues checked out." Owen shook his head, coming closer and dumping the file on the end of the bed. He plopped in the chair beside the bed, giving his partner a look.

"Alright, listen up." He straightened. "I know we haven't exactly gotten off on the right foot-"

"Ha. Understatement."

"Could you just _stop_? It's why I can't stand you now." Huey glared. "I'm serious. I get that you're smart and you know your shit, but you don't always gotta say that smart shit." He sighed, running a hand over his face. Huey shook his head.

"Don't give me that shit, Sheldon." Owen dropped his hand. "You didn't like me even before you _knew _me. And besides, if you did know me, then you would know this is _exactly _how I am. So if you don't like it then it's not my problem."

Owen shook his head. He really didn't come there to argue. "Chill, man." He shrugged. "If you want me to be honest, I wanted an excuse to come check on you."

Huey blinked. "Oh, you're _really _lying now."

"I'm not. Ask Denise." He shook his head. "I can't do this thing by myself. I mean, you want to find your little girlfriend, right?"

"She is _not_…oh, whatever." Huey rolled his eyes. "Yes, I want to find her."

"And you want to find her alive, correct?"

"That would be the preferable condition, yes."

"Then that's what we're going to do." Owen nodded towards him. "Besides, you don't look strong enough to fight off a fly right now let alone argue with me."

Huey's eyes narrowed, but then he sighed. "You got any ideas?"

Owen sat up, smirking. "Did you just ask _me _if I had something to contribute?"

"Um, yeah." Huey gave him a look. "I could _not _ask, if that's what you want."

Owen snorted. "Denise gave me a number to a Lydia Kirkpatrick? Said you had it."

"Yeah." Huey sat back, nodding slowly. "She's a woman in Florida. She owns the shop Jazmine worked at."

"I know. I called her." Owen rested his elbows on the edge of the bed. "Asked her if it would be alright if we went down there."

Huey lifted an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you the one who insisted it was useless traveling to various states?"

"I did," he agreed. "But Jazmine's co-workers, friends, boyfriends or _girlfriends _or whatever friends are down there. We have a better chance of finding out her whereabouts down there than up here."

"So, you're going to Miami." Huey yawned, closing his eyes. "When?"

Owen shrugged again, giving him a look. "Depends. When can you get out of here?"

Huey cracked an eye open. Owen blinked back, watching as he slowly sat up, giving him an unreadable look before shaking his head.

"You mean you're actually going to wait for _me _to go?"

"Ain't I supposed to?" Owen's eyebrows lifted. "We are _partners_." He watched the younger man blink in surprise, although he quickly hid it.

"Well." He shook his head thoughtfully. "No one really know what's going on with me. I can try to get out of here tomorrow."

Owen nodded. "So we could go Saturday."

Huey nodded in agreement. "Fine by me."

"Good." Owen stood up, letting out a low whistle. "Well, I guess I'll let you get back to that…" He nodded towards the file. Huey examined him with a pensive expression.

"Do you know what's in it?" he asked, making Owen stop. He glanced over his shoulder, shaking his head.

"No."

Huey snorted, rolling his eyes. "Then why the hell are you leaving?" He shrugged, giving Owen a "duh" look when he appeared confused. "You've gotta go over it with me. You _are _my partner."

Owen's eyebrows shot up. Huey smirked. He slowly walked back over, sitting down again and shaking his head as he reached for the file.

"You do know I'm only being nice to your because you're sick, right?"

"Of course." Huey's tone was dry. "And you do know that the moment I'm out of here I'm going to go back to wanting to punch you?"

"I'd be stupid if I didn't."

"You already are."

"Oooh. Aren't you clever."

The two men glared at each other. Then, they both shook their heads, snorting.

"So, let's just go over this whole thing from the beginning," Huey said, flipping through the pages. Owen nodded, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

"Fine by me." He closed his eyes. "The beginning."

* * *

This one probably seems shorter than the others but I swear it's almost 7,000 words. It was somewhat of a filler anyways. My B. :P

Thank you for reading (as usual). Feel free to tell my your thoughts! In review form!

-Kelsey


	7. Trust in Nothing

So, I know it's been awhile since I updated. Don't kill me. I swear I haven't forgotten this story. Life's just been...ridiculous. Anyway, thanks to AngieT101 and MizzC for the reviews. Everyone else can SUCK IT. (I'm just kidding. :])

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Trust in Nothing

"Holy fucking shit!"

"Owen!" Huey shot his partner a look of disbelief, rolling his eyes. "Could you be any less considerate?"

To tell the truth, Huey didn't blame him too much. The woman who was standing in the doorway, her hand on her hip and a scowl etched into her face, was nothing like he'd expected Jazmine's roommate to appear as. She had short black hair with bright green streaks, dark makeup smudged around her eyes, and her clothes involved so many chains and metal that he was surprised she was able to stand upright. She blinked, her ice blue eyes narrowing, and popped her gum.

"What do _you _want?"

Ooh. And her manners were just _amazing_.

"December, right?"

"Who wants to know?"

"I do, obviously." Huey rolled his eyes. "Otherwise I wouldn't be _asking_."

The girl shrugged, continuing to smack on her gum. Geez. Jazmine's mom hadn't been lying when she said her roommate was "rough around the edges". "You a cop?"

He glanced towards Owen, who already looked to be over her attitude. Well, at least they were on the same page for _once_. "Something like that."

She shook her head, smacking her lips. "I don't talk to cops."

"Well, you're going to talk to us." Owen stepped forward, nearly shoving his badge in her face. "FBI. Now get out the way."

The girl's eyebrow rose. "What do you need with _me_? I ain't did nothing!"

"We didn't say you did." Huey tried to keep his voice even, although he had about as much patience as a two year old on Christmas morning in these types of situations. "We just want to ask you some questions." When she continued to look unconvinced that she wasn't in any trouble with the law he shrugged. "You were the roommate of Jazmine Dubois, right?"

Her eyes widened. Her hard features visibly softened. To both their surprise she stepped aside, pulling the door open wider and nodding.

"Yeah." Her voice was much softer, sadder. "I am."

The two partners exchanged surprised looks before shrugging, Owen going in first and Huey stepping in behind him. He glanced around the practically empty suite style apartment, boxes stacked everywhere and the blinds flipped open in the living room, bright sunlight streaming in.

"It's move out week," December explained, gesturing around. Huey's eyes fell on an odd symbol that hung from around her neck. "I'm kind of late, but I had a bit of leeway time since they're not going to be able to lease out this unit for the summer."

"How come?" Owen asked dumbly before considering it. He closed his mouth, cringing at his own question. December shoved her hands in the pockets of her black jeans.

"They're allowing Jazmine's stuff to stay. Until…well, you know." She shrugged, swallowing. "Until they get word whether she's…" She allowed her words to trail off, instead focusing on the window. Owen cleared his throat again.

"Well, my name's Owen Sheldon." He jabbed his thumb towards Huey. "That's Huey Freeman. We're trying to get all the information we can so that hopefully Ms. Dubois' will be coming to pick up her own things by the end of May."

December nodded. She gestured towards the couch in the center of the room.

"I guess you two can sit down. If you want…"

Both men walked over to the couch, flopping down. Owen broke out a pen and pad while Huey glanced towards the front door, which December had left open. Since she was one of the last students still in the building it was mostly quiet, subtract the occasional laughing in the hallway and the sounds of Bob Marley blasting from one of the rooms down the hall. He looked back at December as she sat on the coffee table, folding her arms over her chest.

"My parents are coming to get me soon, so I don't have too long." Her voice was a little stronger. Huey nodded.

"That's fine."

December's hands dropped in front of her and she clasped them, biting her lip nervously.

"Alright." Owen gestured to her. "So, what's your name again?"

"December." She shifted from side to side. "December Rain."

His eyebrow lifted. "That's your legal name?"

Her eyes cooled. "_Yes_. It's my _real _name. If you want to get technical it's December Marie Carmen Rain, but it's annoying to say and even more annoying to have to explain."

"We're not here to question her about her _name_, Owen," Huey said, sighing and shaking his head. "Alright, you were suite mates with Jazmine."

She nodded, her entire demeanor changing. It seemed to be a reoccurring pattern when it came to mentioning the missing woman.

"How would you say your relationship was with her?"

She snorted. "She was probably one of the only people I liked at the superficial shithole."

"Well, no offense, but this is _Miami_." Huey rolled his eyes. "If you didn't want superficial why would you come here?"

"Because my aunt works here," she replied with a shrug. "I got so much money that I'm probably the only person graduating with more funding than when I came _in_. I wasn't going to pass that up even if it meant dealing with fake ass Barbies."

Huey nodded.

"Anyways," December went on, her eyes falling to the floor. "Jazmine and I kind of ended up sharing the place on accident. She was originally the only one assigned to this room and I came in on accident. She…was nice." She snorted. "Everyone sees the way I dress and act and flip the fuck out. She took a look at me and just started _talking_. You know, like we'd know each other for years or something. And she knew she was the only one assigned to the suite but she just gave me a sprite and had a real conversation with me for a good half an hour. And when I got to my real suite, saw the bimbo I'd gotten placed with, and realized if I had to live there the entire year I'd be charged with homicide, I turned right back around and asked her if I could share her place. She said yes without a second thought."

Owen scribbled something down, his eyebrow rising. "So, no fights, no arguments…"

She shook her head. "Fighting with her is impossible. Even when she did something that would annoy the shit out of me if anyone else did it I just couldn't feel that way towards her. And the few times she did get angry, she never stayed that way."

"Huh." Owen asked. "Well, did she have _any _enemies you know of?"

December bit her lip, thinking. "Not that I know of. She doesn't bother anyone to make enemies."

Huey shook his head. Even he knew that sometimes a person didn't have to do anything for them to be targeted.

"When's the last time you saw Jazmine? Before she disappeared?"

December took a deep breath. "That day. A few hours before."

"And would you mind telling me what you did that day?"

December frowned. "I thought I wasn't in trouble."

"You're not. But I can't make any promises if you keep acting so defensive." Owen gave her a look. "Just answer the question."

The woman sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. I had an eight am final and another at eleven. I finished them both and went downtown to meet my friend for some margaritas, cause after those exams we needed that shit. I went and sold back my textbooks. I came back here, called my mom back in Rhode Island, watched a _RuPaul's Drag Race _marathon, and fell asleep on the couch. Jazmine got home around seven. Seven thirty, maybe. I ordered a pizza and we ate it. She left again and I started working on some packing. I fell asleep, woke up around one when I heard my phone, and answered it to hear her co-worker yelling and freaking out about her being missing." She exhaled through her nose. "I stayed up from then until the next morning to see if she'd come through the door. She never did."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Owen frowned. Huey leaned forward.

"And did anything seem off when you saw her last?" She blinked in confusion. ""Was she acting unusual? Was she distant? Angry?"

December made a face, staring down at her knees. "Now that you mention it…" She glanced back up at him. "She was really quiet, and she seemed like she was spacing out a lot…like she was worrying about something." She shrugged. "I thought it was because of her finals and all, since she doesn't handle pressure the best. But when I think about it, she did seem upset."

"How could you tell?"

"I don't know…" She shrugged. "She was pacing. She paces a lot when she's worried." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'd try to talk to her and she just seemed really lost. She barely ate anything. I kept asking her what was wrong but she wouldn't tell me. Which, I mean, is _kind _of normal for her. She'll share the good shit, but never the bad."

Huey snorted. He could see that.

"Do you know of anyone who she might have had a falling out with?" Owen asked. December rolled her eyes at him.

"What part of "It's impossible to fight with her" do you not understand?" She snorted. "No. I don't know of anyone."

Owen shrugged. "Was she with someone?" December looked confused. "Did she have a boyfriend?"

December paused. "Well, no…" When her voice trailed off Owen smirked.

"That doesn't seem like a real no to me."

"I mean, there was a guy." She shrugged again. "He was in her quantum physics class. He was really close to her and he really liked her. It was so obvious. I think he asked her out a few times but she always said no."

"Well." Owen leaned back, satisfied. "That's a motive."

"Not quite." Huey glanced at her. "What's this guy's name?"

"Um…" December snapped her fingers. "Cairo."

Huey's jaw nearly fell off his face. She had to be _joking_. The other two went on as if they didn't notice anything. Which, of course, they probably hadn't.

Then again, there _was _more than one Cairo in the world! It didn't necessarily have to be his ex best friend from his days back in Chicago! Right?

_Right_?

"Cairo…" Owen waved his hand, gesturing for her to continue. She pondered.

"Evans." She nodded. "Cairo Evans."

Huey mentally smacked himself in the head. Great. Not only was someone he knew depending on him for survival but now he had to question his ex best friend who he hadn't seen in over ten years! It was as if someone, somewhere in the universe was having a big ass laugh at his expense.

"You know where this guy is?" Owen asked. December nodded.

"Yeah, he's right in building two. He's not moving out until tomorrow, so-"

"I guess we've got another person to pay a visit to, then." Owen tapped his pen on his pad. Huey mentally groaned. Cairo was super lucky that he already knew what the killer looked like. Otherwise he'd be willing to lock this guy up so quick that-

"So, have you ever been to the shop that Jazmine worked at?" Owen asked, breaking his thoughts. December nodded.

"Yeah. She worked at this cool Wiccan store downtown." She made a face when Owen shook his head. "And what's that face for?"

"Nothing." Owen wrote down something on the pad. "Nothing at all."

They all fell quiet again, the occasional sounds of Owen's pen scratching against the paper breaking the silence. Finally, December opened her mouth again.

"Do you know anything?" When both men looked towards her she shrugged, her expression hopeful. "I mean…_something_?"

They both shook their heads. She sighed, nodding.

"That makes sense." She rubbed the side of her neck, causing Huey's attention to once again fall on her necklace. He straightened.

"What does your necklace mean?" Huey suddenly asked, gesturing to her neck. She blinked down at the gold triad symbol before shrugging, giving him a look.

"Does it matter?"

"Actually, it does." He sat back, eyeing her. She rubbed her arm, looking reluctant.

"It's just a charm."

"Doubt it." He ignored her dirty look. "What's it mean?"

"Maybe she doesn't know-" Owen started, but Huey shook his head.

"She knows."

"You know, that sort of looks like the symbol off that show my ex-wife used to watch." Owen tapped his chin with his finger. "What was it? _Charmed_-"

"No one cares about your ex wife, Owen." Huey rolled his eyes. Owen grinned.

"Heh. You right about that one."

"It is," December said, causing both of them to look back to her. "It's a protection symbol. My mom's Wiccan and I'm from Rhode Island, so she was paranoid about me being so far away for school and-"

"Okay." Huey nodded. "So that means you're familiar with that sort of thing."

"If by "that sort of thing" you mean "Wicca", then yes." She snorted. "Do I practice it? No."

"Okay." Huey rested his chin in his hand. "And you mentioned before Jazmine worked at a Wiccan store. Did _she _practice it?"

December faltered. "Well…"

"It's a yes or no question. It's really not that hard."

Owen stared between the both of them, his brow knotted in confusion. After a long pause, December nodded.

"Yeah. Well, she didn't practice it per say." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "More like…I don't even know."

Owen snorted. "You're gonna have to do better than that."

She threw up her hands. "I don't know! She could just do unusual shit, okay?"

"Such as…"

"I can't explain it." December shook her head. "But she had the weirdest intuition I've ever seen. She could warn you about something that hadn't even happened yet. And just…there was just something about her. I know the store she works at doesn't hire people who aren't practicing Wiccans or whatever so that's why I say she did, but she could've made it up just to get the job."

"But you don't think she made it up." Huey gave her a knowing look. She shook her head.

"Doubt it. I don't know." She shrugged. "She ain't never judge me. I wasn't going to do it to her."

"That would explain a lot," Owen said quietly, causing the other two to glance at him. "I mean, this whole thing seems so weird, but the guy's into this stuff-"

"It's not _stuff_," December said in an annoyed voice. "It's _Wicca_."

"Excuse me, _Wicca_." He rolled his eyes. "I don't understand in what he thinks he's accomplishing by taking others who practice it."

"I already _told _you-"

"I know what you told me, Freeman." Owen cut his eyes towards him. "But the truth is, there's no scientific evidence to support this type of thing so I'm going by what _I _know to be fact. And even if this girl had some type of powers, they'd most likely have a genetic basis. For him to try and "take" her powers would be impossible-"

"-Which is why, instead of gaining them and just letting the victim go, they _die_," Huey cut in, giving him a glare of his own. "Instead of being smart enough to analyze it like you do, he thinks if he keeps trying it's going to work one of these times. The truth is, it's not going to. He's just going to keep killing them."

A sudden choking sound made them both whip towards December, whose eyes had filled with tears at Huey's words.

"So…she's going to die?"

Huey smacked his palm against his forehead. "That's not what I meant-"

"Oh, my god." December pressed her lips together, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands. Owen gave Huey a dirty look while he stared at the woman, surprised.

"Way to go, moron."

"What the hell?" Huey snapped back at him. "I'm not here to baby people or whatever! I'm here to find out what's going on! It ain't my problem if-"

"She knew."

Both men slowly turned back towards the distressed woman, who had spoken through her hands. Owen blinked.

"What?"

"She _knew_." December lifted her head, her nose red and her eyes wet. "She knew this was going to happen."

Owen stared at her for a few seconds before snorting, shaking his head.

"Doubt it-"

"Owen, shut up." Huey gave her a look. "How do you know?"

"Alright." She straightened, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm only telling you two this because I know you won't believe me, and that's exactly what I need. The thing is, I know Jazmine could do things that others can't do." She paused. "Because, I can, too."

They both stared at her.

"I had a dream about the guy," she said quietly. "I didn't see his face or whatever, but I could tell something was coming for her. It was the night before it happened. She'd-" She stopped, taking a deep breath before going on. "She'd been a bit on edge since spring break when some fortune teller told her this sort of thing was going to happen soon. So, I told her about it. She knew."

"Then if she knew," Owen said, smirking as if he thought the entire thing was a joke. "How come she didn't stop it?"

December gave him a cold look.

"Because." Her voice was like ice. "Jazmine has a horrible habit of putting everyone else before herself. She figured if she were to come here and her find her he might decide to take me instead. She didn't want to lead him to anyone else. She let herself stay in the open."

Owen let out a snort. Huey glared at him.

"If you can't control yourself, go outside."

"Okay, I'm sorry." He pointed his pen towards December, who looked like she was getting increasingly angry. "Do you actually _believe _this?"

Huey's eyes narrowed. He glared at him with such intensity that the smirk fell right off his face.

"Yeah, actually." He glanced back towards December, who looked shocked. "I kind of do."

"You said her stuff was still here?" Owen suddenly asked, making her nod in response. He was obviously trying to get off the subject ASAP. "Well, do you mind us looking around?" When December's eyes narrowed he shrugged, rising to his feet and stretching. "Hey. At least I _bothered _pretending that you have a choice."

She sighed, waving her hand. "Whatever. It's the second door on the left."

Owen nodded, disappearing down the hall. December glanced over to Huey, frowning.

"You're not gonna go, too?"

"What's the point?" He shrugged. "He's not going to find anything."

"I guess you're right." She drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin in them. "I just thought you might, you know, want to. Since you knew her and all."

"Well, I didn't know her all that…wait a minute." He stared at her in shock. "How the hell did you know that? I never said it."

She shrugged, looking towards the window. "I said I didn't practice it." She paused. "I never said I wasn't different."

He shook his head. This was just too bizarre. "Okay…"

She nodded towards the hallway. "You should go. I have a feeling you'll find something that explains a lot."

Huey gave her a wary look. "I can't just go into people's apartments and take belongings. It's not exactly _legal_."

She glanced to her left, then her right, before blinking at him and rolling her eyes.

"Right. Because _I _really need her belongings." Her voice was dry. "And I'm sure they're of _such use _to her right now."

He stared at her for a moment before sucking his teeth, getting up and starting down the hall. "Man, whatever."

That girl was insane. He snorted to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets and stopping before he got to the doorway. He shook his head, taking a deep breath before stepping inside.

Jazmine's room was a lot like typical Jazmine; bright, more bright, and…it was just bright. It was slightly messy, with occasional clothing items tossed around and a pair of jeans hanging off a desk chair. Her bed was made, the fuchsia and orange (did those colors even _go _together?) bedspread giving him a headache. Her curtains were open so sunlight made the room that much brighter. Owen was standing by her dresser, examining a picture frame, an amused expression on his face.

"Where the hell was this?"

Huey stepped beside him, studying the picture. In it was Jazmine, Hiro, Caesar and Cindy, dressed up and making faces at the camera. At least, Hiro and Caesar were. Jazmine was laughing at them while Cindy was in the process of shoving Caesar. Huey snorted.

"I'm pretty sure that was their prom."

"I figured you'd know." Owen jabbed a thumb towards it. "Weren't you two in the same year?"

"I graduated early, remember?" Huey migrated towards the cracked closet door. "My old girlfriend…wife…what_ever_, begged me to take her to that, but I already had taken her to mine and wasn't going to waste my time going again even if they paid me."

Behind him Owen made a sympathetic noise, shaking his head.

"Did you _ever _have a childhood, Freeman?"

"Once, I believe." Huey's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Or so the rumors go."

Owen opened the top drawer, finding even more photos and papers, sorting through them all. Huey looked up in the closet, spotted a rather large box, and pulled it down. "Holy shit. She's in Engineering? I was a Mechanical Engineering major for like, ten days before I switched. I had a headache twenty four seven."

"Huh." Huey peeked in the box, pulling out and old book, his eyebrows lifting.

"She doesn't look like an engineering person." Owen studied another photo. "I see art. _Maybe _education."

"_Maybe _you're just a moron." Huey flipped the cover open, his eyes falling on the first page.

_Property of Anya Elizabeth James._

Anya? As in the Anya who had nearly gotten him killed? His eyes widened and he quickly flipped the book shut, glancing over his shoulder to Owen, who had gotten oddly quiet. He was staring at another photo, his own expression one of surprise. After a few seconds he glanced towards Huey.

"I thought you said you two weren't that close."

He gave him a confused look of his own. "Yeah…because we weren't."

Owen shook his head, holding up a photo. He and Jazmine were sitting beside each other on what looked to be a set of bleachers. He looked like he was rolling his eyes at her and she was facing away from him, covering the side of her face in what seemed like embarrassment. "Then what's this?"

"Oh." Huey waved his hand. "It was at my best friend's soccer game. I didn't even know someone was taking a picture."

"Huh." Owen looked at it again, glancing back up to give Huey a look.

"So, I know I should mind my own business-"

"You really should."

He made a face. "_But_," he went on as if Huey hadn't even spoken. "I never do, so you shouldn't be too surprised. Anyway, you two look…well, you don't _look _like you weren't very close. In fact…" He shrugged, ignoring Huey's glare. "You look…really close. Closer than you and that-"

"Don't." Huey held up a hand. Owen threw up his hands.

"I'm just saying!"

"Well, stop saying." Huey opened the book again, glancing over one of the pages. "We weren't close. I don't know how many times I have to say that before you get it."

"I don't know." Owen tossed the photo down so that it landed face up on top the book, starting for the door. "Maybe when you finally get that you were a lot closer than you'd like to admit."

Huey's eyes shot up. Owen was already heading out the door, waving his hand.

"Hurry your ass up! We've got people to see, Freeman!" His footsteps disappeared down the hall. Huey sighed, shaking his head and glancing back down at the photo.

Stupid Owen. Stupid _everyone_. Why was everyone trying to link him to someone he didn't even _know _outside of school and school related activities? Jazmine was…nice. Yeah, that was the word. She was nice. And he _did _remember her having her moments where she was funny. And she was surprisingly easy to talk to.

But so were a lot of people. But everyone didn't go around trying to tell him how he _felt _about them.

Sighing, he tucked the photo into the book, starting to place it back into the box. Then, he stared at it, debating.

He couldn't just _take _it. He could get in serious shit for that sort of thing. Besides, it obviously had nothing to do with Jazmine's disappearance.

But…he sighed, tucking the book into his jacket and rising to his feet, heading for the door. It wasn't like he didn't grow up right across the street from her. When they found her he'd give it back…and if they didn't, he'd return it to her parents.

At the doorway he paused, turning around and giving the room one last glance.

Was December right? Had Jazmine really left this room knowing that there was a good chance she'd never see it again? He shook his head, sighing and closing the door.

Everyone may have been wrong about him having feelings for her…but he was definitely starting to feel something.

And it wasn't a good thing.

* * *

Twenty-three year old Cairo Evans was just taping up his last box when he heard someone knock on the door. Before he could get it, however, it was nearly flying open, and unfamiliar white man with red hair strutting in like he owned the place. He stopped once he spotted Cairo, giving him a look.

"You Cairo Evans?"

Cairo rolled his hazel eyes. "Who wants to know?"

"You know, there's a lot of that going around today." The man held out some black wallet looking thing, the flap flipping open and revealing a badge. "The FBI wants to know, that's who. So you can cut the smart guy act."

"I don't give a damn _who _you are." Cairo rose to his feet, annoyed. His week had _sucked_. Hell, the past few weeks had been straight out of hell. He really didn't need this right now. "You ain't gonna bust into _my _apartment like you own the place and try to tell _me _not to cop an attitude."

"Yeah…" Another person stepped into the room, looking as annoyed as the other guy. "You ain't the only one with an attitude. So, you can shut up now."

Cairo's eyes widened. It took everything he had to keep his jaw from hitting the ground.

"Huey?" He blinked, scrunching his face as he stared at him closer. "Huey Freeman?"

"He knows you?" the guy asked, giving Huey a surprised look. Huey sighed, looking annoyed.

"Sadly." He gestured towards Cairo, who scowled. "We used to be friends when I lived back in Chicago."

"Damn, Freeman." The guy gave him a look of disbelief. "You know _everybody_, don't you?"

"We were ten." Cairo snorted as they both looked at him. "That was nearly thirteen years ago. You don't know me."

Huey's eyes narrowed. "If you're anything like you used to be, I'm glad I don't."

Cairo glared.

"Look, we're not here to have some reunion." Huey gave the apartment a look of disgust. "We're here to see if you know anything that can help us find who we're looking for."

"And why would I want to help _you_?" Cairo sneered. Huey stared back.

"Because I'm sure you'd feel bad if your uncooperative ass cost Jazmine Dubois her life." Cairo felt his eyes widen. "So right now, I'm basically the only hope you've got."

Cairo set down his roll of tape, sighing and massaging the back of his neck. "Okay. Yeah. Whatever."

Huey nodded, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. His partner broke out his paper and pen again, looking around as well.

"So, you Cairo Evans, I presume?"

"Yeah." Cairo snorted, mumbling under his breath. "Duh. Who the hell are you?"

"You're just such a charming person." The man rolled his eyes. "Owen Sheldon. And now that that's out of the way, you mind telling me about how you met Ms. Dubois?"

"I guess not." Cairo sat on a box. "We had the same Calculus class four years ago. I couldn't get it for shit. She offered to help." Owen nodded. "She was cool. Real cool, considering most people around here don't care about shit other than tanning and looks and shit."

"So." Owen's eyebrows lifted. "You two were friends?"

Cairo shrugged. "Yep."

Huey snorted, shaking his head. Cairo's eyes whipped towards him and he glared.

"And what's so funny?"

"Oh, you know." Huey shrugged. "Your bullshit answers."

"What?" He started to protest but Huey glanced towards Owen, nodding.

"You're asking him the wrong questions. Let me ask."

Owen shrugged, waving both hands towards Cairo. "Take it away, Afro Samurai."

Huey gave him a bored look. "Don't call me that." He shook his head before turning towards Cairo, his bored look turning into a knowing one.

"So." His tone was casual. "How long have you liked her?"

Cairo's jaw dropped. He could feel his face turning red but decided to play stupid anyway. "What?"

"I'm pretty sure the question isn't very hard." He shrugged. "So, when did you realize you had feelings for her? First year? Second?"

Cairo paused. He couldn't lie. Well, he could…but what was the point? He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"The middle of our second year."

Huey nodded. "Did you ever tell her?"

"I did. A few times." Cairo shook his head. "She doesn't date. If she was any other girl I would've just thought she was rejecting me but I knew her. I'd seen other guys ask her out. I saw her turn them down. I asked her why she didn't and she just said she was supposed to be alone. It's the only thing I never understood about her."

"And how did her rejecting you make you feel?" Huey stared at him intently. "Angry? Upset?"

"I don't know." Cairo shrugged. "At first I took it like a grain of salt, you know? Other fish in the sea, four to one ratio, that sort of thing. But we were good friends and we grew closer and…well, it just got harder. I asked her if there was something wrong with me and she said that it wasn't, that it was all her. But there's nothing wrong with her. She's perfect the way she is."

"And now that you've given me enough sappiness to induce vomiting," Huey mumbled, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "You still didn't say how you felt. You had to have felt _something_."

"Tell you what." Cairo cut his eyes at him. "You think back to your most meaningful relationship and tell me how that made you feel."

Huey shrugged. "Fair enough. Mad, because I didn't see it coming and felt completely blindsided. Annoyed, because it was like I'd wasted years of my life investing into one person who just made it all not matter in a matter of minutes. I felt guilty, like I could have done something to keep it from happening. You happy now?"

"Well, that's how I felt." Cairo rolled his eyes. "I was mad because I thought she was being like other females and leading me on. I was annoyed because I knew she wasn't going to change her mind but I stuck around anyway, hoping that maybe one day she'd look up and realize that we belonged together. And guilty, because whenever I brought it up and said how it seemed like she enjoyed hurting me I wound up hurting_ her _feelings."

"And did that anger at being constantly rejected make you want to do something drastic?" Huey shrugged. "Maybe like…get revenge?"

Cairo blinked at him. Then, he burst out laughing.

"Are you really trying to imply I had something to do with her disappearance?" He rolled his eyes. "That would work, I guess…if it weren't for the fact that she finally agreed to go out with me the day she disappeared."

He watched Huey frown. "She…was going to date…_you_."

"Yeah. She'd decided to give me a chance." Cairo snorted. "And the next thing I know, she's vanished. I was already a suspect, you know." Both men stared at him. "She was working when she disappeared. I went to her job to ask her and left fifteen minutes before it happened. They thought I had something to do with it but I was cleared."

"Well, if he was cleared, we really have no reason to stay." Huey seemed annoyed for some reason and looked like he were itching to get out of there. Owen held up a hand.

"Just a minute." He gave Cairo a suspicious look. "Did she seem a certain way to you when you talked to her? Sad or worried or-"

"She seemed really tired." Cairo shrugged. "She said she was just coming down with something."

"Did she say anything to you? Before you left." Owen was focused on him now. "Did she say anything that stuck out more than everything else? Other than the whole her-accepting-your-date thing."

Cairo blinked, finally snapping his fingers. "She did." He paused, his eyebrow knotting together. "Now that I think about it…"

"What?"

"She told me…" He shook his head. "She told me to take care of myself."

"And did you say anything?"

"Well, I kind of laughed. I was like "I'll see you tomorrow." And she just sort of stared at me and nodded, but she didn't say anything else." He watched Huey and Owen exchange looks. "Why? What does that mean?"

"Nothing." Owen stood up, pocketing his things. "Thanks. You really don't have too much to give us, so I guess we're finished here."

"Good." Cairo gave Huey a look. "Then you can leave."

Huey rolled his eyes. "And words cannot begin to describe how glad I am that is possible." He stepped past Owen, already heading out the door. "Have a nice life."

Cairo blinked towards Owen, who shrugged as he headed for the door himself. "Thanks for everything," he said, pausing in the doorway. "And…I'm sorry things didn't work out for you two."

Cairo nodded, waiting for him to disappear before sinking down on a box, burying his face in his hands.

"Me, too," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

It was weird, stepping into the Wiccan shop, because he'd felt like he had been there before. Then, he remembered that he had been.

This shit was weird. He'd be glad when it was over.

Arcadia's Closet, a nice sized shop covered in every surface with _stuff_, was slow since it was in the early afternoon and most people were still at work. Then again, for all Huey knew, the place was never crowded. Regardless he led the way through the store (Owen hanging back as if the place would give him cooties) and started for the back, only to be stopped by a voice.

"Ah! You must be Huey Freeman!" The loud, feminine voice caught him by surprise. He froze, glancing around.

"Um…"

"Sorry." An old woman with her gray hair in a bun stepped out of the back room. She was wearing a purple dress made of some flowing material, her wrists covered in bracelets that jingled when she moved them. A crystal hung from around her neck. "I guess I shouldn't do that. It can be very off-putting."

"Oh, my god." Huey glanced over his shoulder to Owen, who was shaking his head. "Man, can I go get a cigarette?"

"Smoking is disgusting." Huey rolled his eyes when Owen gave him an indifferent shrug in response. "Man, whatever. I'm not your mother. Do what you want."

Owen nodded gratefully, spinning on his heel and nearly flying out the front doors. Huey shook his head, turning back to the woman, whose eyes were filled with amusement.

"Exhibit A." She shook her head, holding out a hand. "I would be Lydia Kirkpatrick."

"Oh." He shook her hand, surprised by how strong of a grip she had. After all the woman _had _to be in her late seventies. Probably older. "Well, I'm…" He let his words trail off, shrugging. "You already know who I am, I guess."

"Of course." She let go of his hand, smirking as if she laughing at an inside joke. "Well, you had some questions for me?"

He nodded. She smiled, folding her hands.

"And would you like to sit down? Outside? In here?"

"It…really doesn't matter." It was weird, having people who were actually cooperating. How funny that the woman who worked in a "strange" Wiccan shop was the sanest person he'd dealt with that day. She nodded, straightening her skirt.

"So, Jazmine worked here? It's a stupid question, I know," he added when Lydia looked ready to laugh. She nodded.

"Yes." The woman nodded towards the center of the store. "I don't do much hiring. But it did take the load off, and she seemed to be eager to learn more about the Occult…"

Ha. If only she knew. "Did she ever display any…special abilities?"

The woman looked hesitant. Huey gave her a look. Finally she sighed, nodding.

"She did." She snorted. "It has been me and my daughter, Greta, running this store for over thirty years. One of the requirements I had was that the applicant had an extensive knowledge of Wicca. A person who practiced it wasn't necessary, but highly recommended."

"And…how did you decide she was the right person?"

Lydia smiled, reminiscing. "It was at the end of August. Three years ago, as a matter of fact." She adjusted her bracelets as she talked. "I knew she was the one we'd hire. I had a dream about her. That is how I know things, you see." She stared into his eyes, as if daring him to object. "They come to me in dreams."

He really didn't know what he was supposed to do with that information but he nodded regardless. "Well-"

"I saw you in a dream, believe it or not." Lydia gestured to him. His eyebrows lifted. "I knew you would come seeking answers. Only, I cannot give them to you."

He nearly gaped at her. "Excuse me?"

"I cannot give you the answers you _think _you need to know." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "However, I can give you the answers you _will _need to know."

He blinked before shaking his head.

"I'm not even going to pretend that I know what you're talking about."

She nodded towards him. "I see you got the book." She ignored the way Huey's jaw nearly dropped, instead nodding politely and smiling towards a customer who walked in. "That will give you more answers than I ever could."

"What, about where Jazmine is?"

"If you look into it enough, yes." She shrugged. "But I meant it would give you the answers you need for _yourself_."

Okay. Now he was really confused. He was starting to think he should take up smoking as a habit just so he could have an excuse to go and join Owen.

"I'm not looking for answers for myself." He tried to keep his voice even, despite the fact that he was growing annoyed. He did _not _fly all the way to Florida just to hear some old person ramble off about shit that had _nothing _to do with anything. Lydia sighed, easily reading his silence.

"It does sound…strange," she said quietly, her eyes serious. "But trust me. The more you know about yourself, the more you will know about her. And you cannot hope to reach her in time if you don't know yourself."

"Well, I already know myself, since I've grown up with me for a good twenty two years," he replied sarcastically. "And the last time I checked, I have nothing to do with who she is."

To his surprise Lydia snorted.

"Ah. You mortals." She shook her head. "So funny with how you pretend to know things you don't even understand."

_Mortal_? "Excuse me?"

She stared up at him.

"I would like you to tell me about the romantic relationship between you and Jazmine's."

He blinked at her. Then, his eyes narrowed.

"Non-existent."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

His tone was dry. "I think I'd remember if there were one."

A slow smile spread across her face. "And once again…are you sure?"

"_Yes_, I'm _sure_." He nearly groaned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Lydia inhaled deeply, her features soft. Unlike him, she had stayed cool through the entre conversation.

"The human memory," she said quietly, beginning to walk along the shelf. "Is very complex. It is hard to understand." She glanced towards him, her eyes narrowing. "And sometimes, it is your worst enemy."

He didn't even bother commenting.

"The fact is that there is nothing you can trust, and that is a terrible fact whether you like it or not," she said softly, studying an hourglass. "Psychologically there is nothing in the world you can put your faith, your trust, or your belief in. Neither your gods nor your science can save you or bring you psychological certainty-"

"-and you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing," Huey finished, making her eyebrows raise. "Bombay J. Krishnamurti."

Lydia's gaze flickered towards him. "And do you believe that?"

He shrugged. "It's common sense."

She turned towards him. "You must read that book. It will give you more than I can. You just have to read between the lines. Something tells me you're good at that."

He didn't say anything. She sighed.

"And…you have to remember that. What you just said." She shook her head. "You _can't _trust in anything. Not even your own mind." She paused. "_Especially _not your memory. Your memory tells you nothing. It helps you in no way. It only hinders your progress."

"Why-"

"It's not my place to tell you." She shook her head again. "The only person's place would be Jazmine's. Unfortunately, she's unavailable right now." She brushed her hand against her dress. "You do not realize it. If this wouldn't have happened you might have never realized it. But you need that girl." She folded her arms over her chest, lifted her chin, and stared him dead in the eye. "You need her more than you think."

The door suddenly burst open, Owen flying in.

"Oh, my god. Huey." He jabbed his thumb towards outside. "I just saw _the _sexiest-"

Huey held up a hand, rolling his eyes. "Please stop talking." He ignored Owen's glare, turning back to the woman.

"Um, thanks. For…" He didn't finished, instead settling on shaking her hand again. She smiled.

"You _will _find her." She clasped his hand in both of hers, her palms soft and warm. Her skin was thin and wrinkly, like paper. "And when you do, you will see what I mean."

He nodded as she dropped his hand, turning around and shuffling back towards the office.

"And mind the gargoyle, won't you?" she shouted over her shoulder. Owen gave Huey a look as he shook his head, turning towards him.

"What the hell was that bat talking about?" Owen asked. Huey shook his head again, snorting and starting for the door.

"I don't even know, man." Owen turned around as well. "Just-"

Owen's arm bumped the edge of a shelf, causing a statue to fall and crash to the floor. Both men gaped at it, cringing and staring towards each other. Owen quickly crouched down in a futile attempt to reattach the pieces. Huey couldn't help but smirk.

"Gargoyle?"

"Shut up." Owen shook his head as he set the broken pieces back on the shelf. "I will never accept this shit."

"Of course you won't."

"So." Owen put on a pair of sunglasses as they walked back into the sunshine, starting down the sidewalk. "Did she give you any answers?"

Huey was more aware of the weight of the book in his jacket. He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Oh?" Owen glanced towards him. "Like what?"

Huey paused. He sighed, then shrugged.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out."

* * *

No long author's notes this time. I AM out of it. :/  
Thanks for reading!

-Kelsey


	8. Nowhere Close

So, by request of homie **MizzC**, this is being updated earlier than anticipated. haha. So thank her. :P

Also, thank you to AngieT101, MissG2020, insert psuedonym, MizzC...again (haha) and iAnneart01 for the reviews! Oh, and thanks to the people who have been messaging me for this story as well as my others asking me to update sooner. It really _does _cheer a sista up :)

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Nowhere Close

"Quick!" Huey glanced up from the computer as Denise scurried in, spinning around and closing the door behind her. She did some mini run that was most likely to keep from falling in her heels and, to his complete surprise, ducked down to her hands and knees to crawl past him and curl up under his desk. "Hide me!"

He scooted his chair back, giving her an incredulous look.

"What the _hell _are you _doing_?"

"Just tell him I'm not in here and you haven't seen me!" she hissed, pinching his shin. He grimaced, glaring at her but straightening when the door opened again and Owen stuck his head in. His eyes landed on Huey and he sighed, pushing the door open wider and strutting into the room as if he owned the place.

"Sup, Freeman?" He gave him a quick glance over. "Feeling better?"

"Um…sure." Huey lied. Truth be told he'd felt better the first few days being out of the hospital, but he was starting to backpedal into the same feeling as before. No one knew what was going on and now the doctors were trying to say it could be something with his kidneys. _Shit. _Pushing the thoughts of his illness away his eyes narrowed as he focused on the current predicament. Denise was hiding under his desk. Owen was coming in and sucking up.

No. No _way _was Denise hiding from…

"So, have you seen Denise around anywhere?" Owen rubbed the back of his neck, whistling in what he obviously hoped to be a casual way. Huey shrugged.

"May I ask why?"

"Oh, you know. Just…wanted to ask her how she was doing. How the weekend was and all." He nodded, his hands behind his back as he glanced around. His cheeks flushed. "Like what you've done with the place."

Oh, god. Huey had to resist the urge to facepalm himself. Was he the _only _normal person around this place? "Owen, why are you looking for my secretary?"

As if he didn't already have an idea.

"Okay." Owen pressed his hands together, giving Huey a look. "Freeman." He paused, glancing over his shoulder as if not wanting to be overheard. "Your secretary…is adorable." His face flooded with color. "And I am using "adorable" in order to keep my language towards her _decent_. You do _not _want to know how "adorable" I really think she is."

Huey stared at him. Owen stared back.

"You're…kidding. Right?" When Owen merely continued to stare in response he burst out laughing. "_Denise _is adorable?" He was laughing so hard he almost started choking. "Are we talking about the same Denise? _Ow_!" Denise had stabbed her heel into his foot. "God_damn it_."

Owen gave him a look. "Uh, are you alright?"

"Yea. She's not here." Huey let out a small hiss, rubbing his foot. "I'll let her know you were looking for her." He waited until after Owen, looking dejected, shuffled out the room and shut the door before quickly sliding his chair back to give the annoyed looking secretary a hostile glare.

"Yeah, that little move almost made me rat you out." He let go of his foot, moving back even further so she could crawl out from underneath the desk. She straightened her hair, sticking out her tongue.

"Ain't my fault you're such a meanie."

"Ain't my fault I was telling the truth…_ow_!" He glared up at her, rubbing his head; she'd knocked him upside the head with the same heel. "Have you lost your damn mind? Get out!"

"Nope." She pranced around the desk, flopping down in the chair in front of him and sliding the black shoe back on her bare foot. "He could be hovering by my desk."

"Owen interested in black women. Who knew." He shook his head, amused. "If you're not interested just tell him." Huey shook his head as he focused on the computer again. "It's really not that hard."

"Easy for _you _to say. Ah!" The secretary snapped her fingers. "Speaking of that, Maya called you. She said she needs to talk to you and…something else about not being able to find her old video camera?"

"Oh, yeah." He shrugged. "And she's _still _not going to be able to find it. I sold it."

Denise smirked, her cheeks puffing out from held in laughter. "Aren't you considerate of personal possessions."

"She shouldn't have left _her _personal possession in _my _place of residence." Huey shook his head, looking bored. "What else?"

"Your brother called." His head whipped up. "He said he hates you and wishes that he were an only child or at least didn't have such a "bitch nigga" for a brother."

"Tell him I love him, too."

"And some girl called? A Cindy McPhearson?" He glanced up again when she said that. "She said she and Caesar are going over to Thomas Dubois' house around five and they want you to go, too."

"_Why_?"

"I don't know! I'm paid to take your messages, not interrogate people!" Denise sat back, folding her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes. "_Damn_."

"Goodbye."

"Negative." She leaned forward again. "So, what are you doing?"

"My _job_. You know, like what _you _should be doing?" Huey lifted his eyebrows towards her. "See ya."

"Sike."

"You are the worst secretary ever."

"And you _still _have this damn photo in the frame!"

"Oh, my-" Huey rubbed his forehead, shooting her a glare so sharp she cringed. "Do you have _anything _constructive to bug me about? Or are you just here to make my day a living hell?"

Denise rolled her eyes. "A little bit of both. _Fine_, grumpy pants." She moved her jacket off her arm, exposing a manila folder, which she dropped on his keyboard. "There you go. All the information on an Anya Elizabeth James of New Orleans, Louisiana, that I could find."

"_Thank you_." Huey flipped the file open, shaking his head. Denise eyed him warily.

"So, I know it's none of my business-"

"You just answered your own question." Huey's tone was flat. "No."

"Oh, come _on_." She rested her hands in her lap, watching him read. "I have to ask." When he didn't interrupt her she took that as a good sign and shrugged. "What does Anya Elizabeth James of New Orleans, Louisiana have to do with anything?"

"I don't know." Huey didn't even look up from what he was reading. Denise gave him a confused look.

"…Sorry?"

"I. Don't. Know." When she continued to give him a puzzled look he rolled his eyes, looking up. "I'm playing this thing by ear, and even if I _told _you what made me look her up you wouldn't believe me. So forget it."

_Wrong _words to say. Denise bolted up, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Ooh! Tell me tell me tell me!"

"You," he mumbled, still reading. "Are the most immature twenty six year old I've ever known-"

"That's most-immature-twenty-seven-year-old to you, sir." She stuck out her tongue. "So there."

He blinked at her. "I thought your birthday was in August?"

"Well…I'm close enough." He rolled his eyes. "Come on, man. Just tell me."

He sighed, setting down the pages and resting his hands flat on the desk, giving her a bored look.

"I have been having dreams involving an Anya James," he stated plainly, not blinking. Denise stared back. "I have a feeling that she's connected to this entire thing."

For a moment, the entire office was silent. And then, Denise nodded.

"You're right. I totally don't get that." She made a face. "Because when I was reading, I happened to notice that she was born in _1902._ Not to mention, she's been dead since the year _you _were born. Therefore, I do not see what that would do with now."

"Thank you for such helpful information." He waved his hand at her. "Get out now."

"But he could still be _out _there!"

"Not my problem." He snorted, shaking his head. "I don't know why he'd be interested in _you _anyway. All you do is get married, then they mysteriously _die_-" He stopped, blinking. He looked up, giving her a look. "On second thought, you _should _date him. In fact, you should marry him while you're at it."

"You're not funny, Freeman."

"Who the hell's joking?"

"You're cold." Denise shook her head, rising from her seat and heading for the door. "Don't worry. When _your _wedding comes one day, and I mean a real one that wasn't in Vegas and is to someone you actually _love _who has you whipped like a field slave, I will be laughing. Very, very hard."

"Because _that's _gonna happen…wait a minute." His eyes narrowed at her retreating back. "What do you mean "someone I _actually _love"?"

Denise turned around, her hand on the doorknob. "I mean…someone you _actually_ love." She smirked when he scowled. "Oh, come on. Lighten up. I'm joking."

"Funny."

"Whatever." She shrugged. "In all seriousness though, I believe in three types of love." She let go of the doorknob, ticking them off on her fingers. "There's the always painful unrequited love. Then, there's the marriage of convenience or emotional stability, better yet known as the "We-seem-to-suit-each-other-so-we'll-just-stay-together-from-fear-of-not-being-able-to-find-someone-else-better-for-us" love, which I get the inkling you and your ex ex-convict fell under-"

"Hey!"

"And then," she went on as if he hadn't spoken. "There's that rare "we-actually-complete-each-other-and-there's-no-one-better-and-I-can't-imagine-life-without-them-so-let's-break-out-the-rocking-chairs-cause-we're-in-this-for-the-long-haul" love." She grinned. "Since you're this big ass, jaded pessimist, I'm pretty sure irony's going to bite the hell out of you and you're going to wind up in the third one."

"And I'm pretty sure you've been sniffing that white out way too hard." Huey waggled his fingers sarcastically towards her. "Get out."

"Fine." Denise waved her hand. "But don't say I didn't tell you so when you look up one day and your heart does that flippy thing and you suddenly want to grab the girl and-"

"I get it." His tone was dry. "Thanks."

"And _throw away the picture_!"

"Get off my back! Damn." He rolled his eyes, going back to the papers and sighing as the door shut. _Finally. _Now he could focus.

When he'd found the diary of Anya James in Jazmine's closet and was instantly reminded of the Anya who he'd met when he was in the hospital he'd felt compelled to learn more about her. It was one of those feelings; a stab of intuition that he had a feeling wasn't wrong. If she'd come up twice she obviously had _something _to do with this.

Admittedly, he hadn't read past the first two entries since he'd fallen asleep, and then the next day he's spent running errands with Grandad, who had guilt tripped him into it with his "I'm gonna die soon" monologue (at this rate Huey was suspecting his grandfather would outlive _him_), so by the time he'd gotten back home and passed out on the bed, he'd completely forgotten about it. And after that, he just _kept _forgetting.

Well, he couldn't help it! He had a lot on his mind _and _the sick feeling was starting to come back. He was so sick of the sick feeling. Besides, it was now May thirteenth, which meant he had eleven days to find her. And he was nowhere _close_. He groaned, massaging his temples.

He hadn't dreamt about her in days. While it was no doubt horrifying and unbelievable to be able to _see _her when she was nowhere around, it had at least let him know she was still alive. He had a feeling she wasn't dead, he _knew _she wasn't dead…but for some reason, not being able to see her even if she _was _suffering was kind of…getting to him.

_No_. He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. It _wasn't _getting to him. _Nothing _about this was getting to him. It was just…

Man. He didn't even _know_.

"Arghhh." He spun around in his chair, glancing over the pages. For some odd, un-Huey like reason, he just really liked spinning chairs. "If I had some kind of _clue_-"

"If everyone had clues for what they wanted to know, life would be too easy."

His head shot up and his eyes narrowed towards the corner of the room. Freda was leaning against the wall, examining her nails, her green eyes cool. He blinked, surprised.

He couldn't help it; this type of thing usually happened to him at night or when he was in some private place or, in recent cases, during near death experiences. Never in _broad daylight _at his place of _employment_. "What are you doing here?"

Freda sighed, her hands on her hips. "Are you _any _closer to finding her?"

"I'm _working _on it!" He tossed her an annoyed look, turning back to the computer. "Get off my back!"

"Do you even know what you're _looking _for?" Freda walked up to the desk, shaking her head at the screen. "Ah. Anya Elizabeth James." She smirked, as if enjoying a private joke. "And what do you suspect _she _has to do with anything?"

"I don't know." Huey sighed. "I just remember Anya mentioning that she and Jazmine knew each other, and-"

"So you _have _met her." Freda stroked her chin, thoughtful. "That's interesting." Huey glanced towards her. "Anya _never _interferes with mortal affairs, no matter who's involved."

"Wait." Huey held up a hand, his eyes narrowing. "_You _know her, too?"

"Of course." Freda smirked. "How could one not know their own mother?"

He blinked. Freda didn't say anything. He snorted, shaking his head.

"You couldn't just _tell _me that, could you?"

"Listen here." Freda's temper seemed to be flaring. "I'm not even supposed to _be _here. I am risking my butt helping you, _mortal_. You have _no idea_-"

"Alright, alright!" He waved his hands, shaking his head. "My bad! Calm down." He watched as her eyes softened, her fist unclenching. "Look, I don't understand how your entire…supernatural world works or whatever." He glared at her. "But if you're already breaking rules then you might as well break more. Because I have _nothing _to work with. And I _don't _want her to die, Freda. I really don't."

The woman's eyebrows lifted. Finally she sighed, letting her hands flop to her sides.

"Anya James," she said quietly, looking as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. "Was…_is _Jazmine's great-grandmother." She paused, contemplating. "Their relationship…it's complicated."

"How?"

"You don't need to know that information to solve this." She shook her head, her eyes narrowing again. "There's a thin line with you. You don't know it, but there's too much you could find out. I can't tell you _every _little thing. You're too smart. And you're too experienced."

"Experienced? Are you _kidding _me?" He nearly started yelling until he realized Denise or any other passerby would be able to hear him and would probably wonder if he'd lost his mind. "Freda, I don't know _shit _about this type of thing-"

"You know more than you think." She smiled in an almost sad way. "It's going to come back. It was supposed to be permanent, but it going to come back. It was bound to happen."

Okay, _what_? "What's bound to happen?"

"When it happens," she said quietly, beginning to fade. "You will know."

"Oh, come _on_-" Huey snapped, but she was already gone. He threw up his hands, letting them drop back to the desk and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks," he mumbled sarcastically, turning back to the computer. "Thanks for _nothing_."

* * *

"May I ask why we're doing this again?"

"_Because_."

"…Ooh. _That's _a valid reason. "Because". Tell me, did you come up with that all on your own?"

"Cindy, Huey, shut up." Caesar rolled his eyes at the two of them as they all stopped in front of the Dubois' doorstep. "You two could at least _pretend _to like each other."

"Yeah, I could." Huey rolled his eyes, leaning past him to ring the doorbell. "But then I'd have to lie, which I don't even do for people I _do _like. Why would I change the rules for her?"

"And I would just _love _to be nice to Huey when he's being such a sweet, gentle soul," Cindy mumbled, folding her arms over her chest. Caesar blinked, looking between the two as they heard the door unlock. Then, it was slowly opening, Tom poking his head out.

"Oh!" At first he looked surprised, then genuinely happy. "Hey, guys! Um…come on in."

Cindy walked in first as if she owned the place, her blond hair swishing behind her. Caesar followed, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Huey brought up the rear, giving his surroundings the usual wary glance while Tom shut the door. For the first time in the entire time Huey had known him, he wasn't wearing a suit. He was wearing _sweatpants_.

Damn.

"What's good, Big T?" Cindy asked, sitting in the middle of the sofa. Caesar sat down on one side. Huey began to sit; realizing he'd have to sit by Cindy, he opted to stand where he was. "How you been holdin' up?"

"Good." He shrugged, glancing around. "Yup. Just me and my…well." He let out a chuckle that had little humor to it. "Me."

Cindy smile softly, her blue eyes softening. "Seriously, Mr. D. How've you been holding up?"

Tom sighed, shrugging and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I've seen better days." He swallowed. "But I'll manage."

Caesar shifted in his spot, looking uncomfortable. And then the blond was rising to her feet, an innocent look falling over her face.

"I know this is such short notice and all, but I actually came over because I've got some stuff of mine I need. I was wondering…well, if you didn't mind…" She let her words trail off and Tom nodded earnestly, trying to hide the grief that flashed across his face.

"You need to go in her room?" When she nodded quietly he nodded. "Sure. It's fine. I was going to head down the street for a few minutes to Mrs. Von Heusen's house anyway…you don't mind if I step out, do you?"

"Naw." Cindy waved her hand. For some reason Huey sat up straighter, giving her an odd look. "Do what you gotta do, right?"

Tom nodded again, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "Alrighty, then." He pulled open the front door, jabbing his thumb behind him. "I'll be right back, so if you need me…"

"We gotchu." She smiled, rising to her feet and stretching. The moment the door closed behind him she snapped her fingers, gaining the other two's attention. "Come on." She started for the stairs and both Huey and Caesar gave her confused looks.

"Um…baby?" Cindy stopped on the third step. Caesar shrugged."What exactly are we going to Jazmine's room for?"

"Because." She glanced towards the front door, shrugging. "I _do _have stuff she's got that I need."

"Okay." Huey rolled his eyes. "So why do _we _have to go?"

"Well, I figured since _you _were complaining about not knowing a damn thing about her that you might want to check it out." Cindy rolled her eyes back. "I was trying to help _you _out."

"Aren't you generous." Huey sighed, starting for the stairs as well. "Fine. Whatever. Just don't start crying or whatever. I am so not in the mood."

"How could I forget?" Cindy's voice was dry. "Huey Freeman is above displaying emotions."

"Man, shut _up_."

"Can you two knock it off?" Caesar followed the bickering frenemies up the stairs, shaking his head. "Ya'll know if Jazmine _were _here you wouldn't be actin' this way."

Both Huey and Cindy shrugged guiltily, Cindy sighing.

"_He _would. I wouldn't."

"Bull_shit_." He glared at her. "I wasn't around her enough to get on her bad side."

"Can you two…nevermind. Fuck it." Caesar waved his hand as Cindy walked into what Huey presumed to be Jazmine's old room. "Do what you want. I don't even care anymore." He went into the room as well, passing by Huey, who hung back near the doorway. His eyes narrowed.

_"Are you okay-oh, shit!" Huey covered his eyes with his hand and Jazmine screamed, holding the towel over her. "My bad! I thought-"_

_"Get out!" Jazmine yelled._

_"What the hell do you think I'm doing?" He shouted, quickly slamming the door shut behind him._

"What the-" His eyes snapped back open and he rubbed them, blinking. Cindy was lying on Jazmine's made bed, staring at the ceiling while Caesar stared out one of the windows, frowning. Neither one of them had noticed his…

His what? His random brain surge? His reaction to remembering something that hadn't happened?

Only if it hadn't happened how come it seemed so familiar…

_"I wasn't trying to walk in on you!" Huey hollered from outside the door. "Damn! I have better things to do than see you naked!"_

_"I wasn't talking to you!" Jazmine shot back._

Well _these _were awkward things to think about.

"Well." Huey looked at Caesar, who was glancing around at all the posters on her wall. "I see her Usher obsession went away-"

"Yeah, right." Cindy snorted, her eyes closed as if she were thinking. "Man. I spent so much _time _here. I was here more than my own damn house." She sat up again, her eyes downcast. "This is just-"

_'I'm on my New York shit  
I think I'm hot, son  
White girls starin at me  
Lookin like she lost somethin  
I don't know what her problem is  
I hope she fuckin say something  
Asked her what's the problem  
She said you're fucking awesome!'_

"Cindy, that is the _worst _ringtone I've heard in my life," Huey said, shaking his head. She rolled her eyes as she got out her phone, giving him a look as she slid it open.

"Don't hate. I copped it off _yo_ brother." She held the phone up to her ear, giving Caesar and Huey "now shoo!" waves with her hand before speaking into the receiver. "Who dis is?"

Huey really hated that woman.

"Come on." Caesar shook his head, closing the door behind him and Huey and head for the stairs again. "Let's go see what good food people have been bringing Tom and Sarah."

"Tom," Huey correctly automatically. When Caesar gave him a confused look he shrugged. "Divorce. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Caesar started down the staircase, his feet thumping loudly on the carpeted floor. Huey meanwhile stopped, staring further down the hallway to another staircase that led up to a single, closed door. "I forgot about that…then again I guess that shit was just meant to happen from the jump-"

"Does this house have an attic?" Huey asked, his eyes narrowing. Caesar stopped halfway down the stairs, turning around to stare up at him.

"I don't know, man!" He shrugged. "You actin' like I came up in here all the time or something…where you going?" Huey had started down the hallway, focused on the door. "Huey! What are you doing?"

"I don't know." To be honest he really _didn't _know. He'd just spotted the door and felt compelled to find out what was behind it. He felt as if there were something there that could help him. He reached the wooden steps, gingerly stepping on the first one. It creaked loudly underneath his weight. He glanced over his shoulder to Caesar, who had come back up the steps to the landing to give him a perplexed look. "I really think this is their attic."

"Great!" Caesar's tone was filled with sarcasm. "You found their attic. Good for you."

"Don't play me." Huey shot him a dirty look over his shoulder before turning back around. Spotting a flashlight sitting upright on the third step he reached for it, flipping the switch on it and shaking it around to examine the weak beam that came from it. "Go look out for Tom. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Why?" Caesar's nose wrinkled. Huey shrugged, starting slowly up the steps.

"I just feel like I need to."

"Huey-"

"Just watch my back, would you?"

Caesar sighed, turning on his heel and flopping down on the top step of the main staircase. "Fine. Just hurry the hell up!"

Huey shook his head, reaching the top step and grabbing the doorknob. He gently twisted it, pushing the door open and stepping into the darkness.

The first thing he noticed was the dust, and that was because he sneezed a good half dozen times before getting used to the stale, thick air. He shined the flashlight around the large space, slowly taking everything in.

_"So, you're going to have to wipe my memory." He made a face. He didn't really like the idea of that._

_She sighed. To his surprise, she shook her head._

_"No."_

_His eyes narrowed in confusion. "No?"_

_"No," She repeated. When his puzzled look deepened she shrugged. "For one, I'm not quite sure how, and I'm pretty sure you don't want me giving you permanent, long term amnesia. It's not a difficult thing to do."_

_"I'd rather not go through that, thanks."_

_She smirked. "Another reason," She added. "Is that I'm still not sure why you're seeing dead people. And I can't just erase your memory unless I fix that first. Otherwise you'll be seeing things, you, being the rational person you are, will think you're losing your mind, and you could wind up anywhere from in a mental hospital to dead. It's messy."_

_He grimaced._

_"A third reason," She added softly, raising one knee. "The one that would probably get me in the most trouble…Is that I don't want to."_

He ventured further into the attic, his eyes…searching. Searching for what, exactly? He shrugged to himself, sneezing again.

_"Why not?"_

_She stopped. "Does it really matter?"_

_"A little. Yeah."_

_She swallowed, pressing her lips together. Finally, she glanced at him._

_"It's just…somewhat of a relief," she said, looking down at the floor. "That there's someone out there who doesn't think I've completely lost my mind."_

What the hell was going on? He stopped, shaking his head to try and clear the fuzzy outlines that seemed to cling to his thoughts. It was as if his mind were flashing to some weird memories that he'd somehow…

Forgotten.

But that was impossible, wasn't it? His memory was sharp. Super sharp. So sharp that he'd had _professors _who relied on him to keep them up with their lesson plans. He remembered entire textbooks and catalogs word for word. His memory was _photographic_. For him to forget entire conversations was unheard of. He still remembered conversations from when he was _six_.

Besides, in these so called "memories", he already knew her secret. He'd had no idea what she could do. How could he forget something as important as _that_?

He shook his head, shining the beam of light up at the ceiling…at least before he heard a loud _THUMP _that made him swear and drop the flashlight, the damn thing rolling away. He rolled his eyes, dropping to his hands and knees to make sure he wasn't about to step onto some section of the attic that was missing floor.

"Stupid flashlight…" He finally reached it, sitting up on his knees and pointing it at the ceiling again as the beam flickered, then went out. He whacked it a few good times but then, deeming it useless, tossed it aside. "_Shit_." Since the attic's window was on the opposite side of the room and it was almost completely covered he could barely see his hand in front of his face. The small amount of light from the crack he'd left in the door did nothing to help.

"Psst! _Huey_!"

Huey's head shot towards said crack in door, his eyes narrowing.

"What, Ceez?"

"You okay?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Is he here yet?"

"Naw!" There was a pause from behind the door. "You think he got any Kool-Aid in the fridge?"

"Nigga, I don't know!" Huey rolled his eyes. "Go check for yourself! Askin' me like I _live _here-"

"Well, damn!" He heard Caesar's footsteps fade and snorted, turning back to the rest of the room. He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling there was something he _needed_-

Then, his auburn eyes narrowed again as his ears picked up on the sound of whispering. It was as if it were coming from the same place he'd heard the thump. He pushed himself to his feet, feeling around. His fingers grazed a box and he sighed, sticking his hand inside.

"So." He quickly drew his hand back, whirling around to face the window. He could see a shadow moving, the unfamiliar voice causing his eyes to narrow. "You're him."

He blinked, rubbing his eyes. The shadow chuckled.

"You're not imagining things."

He shook his head. "Who are you?"

The shadow came closer. For some reason he didn't feel afraid. Instead he straightened, squaring his shoulders as the figure came closer.

"Of course you wouldn't know me…" The feminine voice sighed. "I was number four."

Huey paused. For a moment his eyebrows drew together in confusion and then his eyes were widening.

"You're Micah Brushelli." When the figure didn't say anything he stepped closer, his eyes wary. "Right?"

There was another moment of silence. Then, a nod.

"Yeah." Her voice was soft, sad. "I am."

"Well…wait." He made a face. "How the _hell _am I seeing all these _dead _people?"

"Because." Micah's voice was casual. "You're just susceptible to it."

He blinked. "You're…joking. Right?"

"Yes." The fourth victim's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Because this is _such _a funny joke."

"If I'm so _susceptible_," Huey went on, ignoring her. "Why haven't I been able to see ghosts before? Why is it _just _happening now?"

"You think _I _know?" Micah's voice was surprisingly hard. "I don't freaking know! I just know that sometimes, when people get desperate, they have to tap into a mortal's mind for whatever reason." She shrugged. "Everyone has psychic abilities. The only difference is that not everyone can tap into them. Some can, but choose not to. As for the rest of us…well, we never stood a chance. Being normal was just never an _option_-"

"What are you _talking _about?"

"Look." Micah cut him off. "This is a lot to take in. I know that. But the thing is, for whatever reason, someone over on the astral plane chose _you _to communicate with. For whatever reason _you're _connected to number seven. And I'm here to tell you you're going about it all wrong."

"What?" How did she even _know _any of this? "Going about-"

"You _have _to learn more about your own history." Micah shook her head. "You have to realize that this thing has more to do with _you _than you think."

Huey was _so _damn sick of all these dead people talking in circles to him. He shook his head as she offered him another shrug.

"There's a reason you can see us now," she said quietly. "And there's a reason you've seen her in your dreams. They aren't coincidences. They're not accidents." Suddenly, her shadow was vanishing. "There are no accidents…"

"_Must _you all just fade _off _without telling me any real information?" he asked aloud, groaning. He started to open his mouth again but stopped as there was another loud thump followed by the box he'd previously noticed suddenly tilting onto its side, falling over. A series of random objects rolled and clattered around the wooden floor, some vanishing out of sight and others coming to a stop instantly. He ignored them all, his eyes instead falling on an old sheet of paper that had fallen to rest on his foot. He picked it up, holding it in both hands and attempted to read it despite the darkness. He jumped as he heard Caesar's loud footsteps pounding on the stairs.

"Ollie Ollie Oxen Free!"

Caesar could be such a _dumbass_. He shook his head, sticking the page in his pocket and giving the tipped over box a look. Deciding he didn't have enough time to clean it he backed out the attic, slamming the door shut and rushing down the stairs after his best friend in time to hear the front door downstairs open.

"I'm back!" Tom's voice called. Caesar rolled his eyes, glancing towards Huey, who reached into his pocket to retrieve the paper. His eyes scanned it.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Huey started to answer, only he instead focused in on a name near the center of the page. The work ink was difficult to read, but even he couldn't miss the _Anya E. James, _which was attached by a single line to _Matthew R. Freeman_. His eyes widened.

"I have…no idea."

* * *

_She only had one chance for this to work._

_She slowly lifted her head, staring across the room towards the unmoving figure. He was sleeping. He had to be sleeping…right? It was nighttime. People slept at night. Why should he be any different?_

_Ah. Right. Because he was fucking insane._

_She winced, resting her forehead against the wood. She could do this. She could _do _this. She wasn't weak. She wasn't going to die here. And if she was…_

_Well, the least she could do was _try _to make a break for it._

_She closed her eyes, slowly flexing her left hand. She did the same with her right. Her legs were the next thing to move._

_The sedatives had finally worn off. She slowly pushed herself upright again, swallowing and glancing towards the corner of the room. Just one more test…_

_She narrowed her eyes towards a forgotten rag, watching as its edges gently flapped. She couldn't help but smile._

_Yeah. The sedatives were definitely out her system. Her head quickly whipped towards the door, where her captor's eyes were fluttering, obviously getting ready to open. Her eyes widened and she quickly pushed herself to her feet, pressing her back against the wall to make sure she could stand. After all, she hadn't done it in so long. He lifted his head, his eyes instantly landing on her through the darkness and narrowing._

_"So." He pushed himself to his feet as well, dusting himself off. "You're up."_

_She didn't say anything. He took a step towards her, his hand clenching into a fist._

_"You're planning something." He smiled, as if the situation were really all that funny. "You're trying to escape."_

_Well, no duh. Her eyes narrowed. Her vision was swimming, which was never a good sign. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it out of there when she'd been basically living off bread and water and her legs were already screaming in protest. He shook his head, starting towards her._

_Well, she'd never know until she tried. Before she could chicken out she quickly pushed off the wall, flinging her right hand in his direction so that he slammed against the wall. She jumped over his cot that he'd had made, hitting the door and twisting on the knob, which wouldn't open. She groaned angrily, slamming into it while pressing her palm out so it flew off the hinges._

_Okay. She was definitely back._

_She heard an angry groan behind her but ignored it, leaping over the few stairs that led down from the doorstep and running for all she was worth through the thicket of trees that seemed to surround the property. She ignored the way random tree branches tugged at her clothes and hair, focusing on finding some way out of here…she froze when she realized that she was completely surrounded by silence._

_Holy shit. She leaned against a tree trunk, trying to catch her breath. There were tiny pinpoints of light dancing in her eyes now and she blinked, trying to get rid of them. The air around her was cool, the stars overhead managing to poke through the tree branches. She was in the woods._

_The woods…where?_

_She felt her heart clench in her chest as the unmistakable sound of footsteps reached her ears; quickly ducking down she pressed herself closer to the tree, swallowing and holding her breath._

_What would happen if he _did _catch her? Would he be fed up enough to kill her on the spot? Had she just signed her own death certificate? She glanced up from the ground as the footsteps stopped. Her eyes narrowed._

_Had he changed course? Had he gone back? Was she deemed a lost case?_

_'Look up.'_

_The moment the words ran through her mind she quickly lifted her head, just in time to see him glaring down at her from a higher tree branch. She screamed, quickly lifting her hand and causing him to fall from the tree to the ground, his body making a painful sounding thud as it hit the dirt. She pushed herself to her feet again, backing away a few feet and giving his still body a horrified look._

_She hadn't killed him…had she? Oh, man. She clapped a hand over her forehead. She wanted to get away but she didn't want to murder the guy! Call her crazy since he was hell bent on doing away with her, but her purpose had never been to kill anyone. Not even him. She winced, taking a step forward._

_"H-hello?"_

_She was so stupid. She knew she was. She felt tears spark her eyes, the blood rushing in her ears. She should be running for the hills. She should be tailing down someone to get the jerk arrested. She should be getting something to fucking eat. Not standing there, worrying about the wellbeing of someone who wanted her dead. She took another step forward, her eyes never leaving his still body. After a few seconds she shook her head, turning away and forcing herself to run through the trees again, leaving him lying on the ground._

_If he was dead, it wasn't her problem. She continued through the woods, focusing on trying to keep her eyesight in check. It was obvious that being stuck in some sedated state had gotten to her. She stopped as she suddenly saw a break in the trees, a beautiful, glorious paved road just beyond it. Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat._

_Freedom…it was right there! Holy crap! She pushed off the tree trunk, racing for the road, ignoring the painful pounding in her chest-_

_-and then, she was whipping around as she heard movement, but it was too late; he was already tackling her to the ground like some linebacker, gripping her wrists. She let out a scream, barely having time to focus on the dark, wide sky above her before she saw one of his hands lifting, a rock grasped in his palm._

_"Wait!" she screamed, but already he was bringing it down so that there was a sharp pain that seemed to rock through her entire head, and then the blackness was once again descending on her._

For the first time it wasn't the dream that woke him up. Instead, it was the knocking.

He lifted his head to stare through the darkness towards the closed front door; he'd fallen asleep what seemed like hours ago on the couch. Sitting up and rubbing his stiff neck he groaned, shaking his head.

Well, he'd gotten his wish. He'd seen her again.

…Maybe he should have just appreciated _not _knowing. He leaned back against the sofa, rubbing his hands over his face before hearing the knocking again. His eyes flickered towards the door and he reluctantly pushed himself to his feet, glancing at the closest clock he could spot.

10:41 pm.

Damn. That was _it_? When the knocking sounded again he rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'm coming! _Damn_!" He ambled over to the door, still recovering from the dream he'd been so into less than a minute before, not even bothering to use the peephole as he undid the chain, turned the lock, and opened the door. He was so busy yawning that he didn't have time to prepare himself for what he heard next.

"Way to not answer your phone."

He straightened, his eyes falling on a too familiar woman with long dark hair, arms folded over her chest, and dark eyes as unreadable as his own. It was sad; the man who didn't know how to get rid of his poker face even if he tried had to keep his jaw from dropping.

"_Maya_?" He blinked as she straightened, lifting her chin. "What the _hell _are you doing here?"

"I told you I was coming." She rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip now and her typical impatient expression bringing back too familiar memories. "It's not my fault you ignore phone calls."

His eyes narrowed. Hers did the same.

"So, I guess I'm going to be forced to stand in front of your door and look stupid for the next _year, _right?" She shook her head. "Don't you have manners."

Damn! She was completely handing it to him and he was just _letting _her! What was _wrong _with him? He rolled his own eyes, pushing the door open wider.

"Whatever." She walked past, tossing him a wary look. He sighed, shaking his head and shutting the door.

This…was not going to end well.

* * *

This one MIGHT seem shot, but it's over 6,000 words so ya'll betta leave me 'lone. lol.  
Anyways, Cindy's ignorant ass ringtone is the oh-so-ignorant "Awesome" by Plies. I am sometimes a sucker for ignorance. That very song is amazing to me (but I am aware it's pointless and horrible so DON'T BE MEAN)

I really _don't _know how many chapters this is gonna be, but I'm willing to say it's _not _going to be longer than its predecessor. We'll see.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Review, please! :D

-Kelsey


	9. Choosing

So I wrote a long ass author's note...and then my internet crashed. Damn, damn, DAMN!

So, long story short, I haven't been updating much because I went from having zero jobs to have two. It's time consuming as well as tiring but be patient; I'm still working on my stuffs. I usually do little bits at a time when I have the time and it all comes together. Or, like today, I neglect something I was SUPPOSED to be doing to write instead. Oh, well.

Thanks to insert psuedonym, MissG2020, MizzC, Kris723, and...MissG2020 again for the reviews! haha. Um...that's about it...

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Choosing

He really did _not _feel like dealing with this right now. But hey, since everything else was pretty much going to hell at the moment, he figured one more thing wouldn't hurt him.

Twenty one year old Maya Johansen, the ex-crime addicted, attitude having, cool, calm and collected woman she was, was the only person who could give him a run for his money when it came down to anything from his behavior to his actions. She was loud, aggressive, and could get excited, but in the end the only thing that was different between them was gender.

Ah. And the fact that _he'd _never punched her in the face. Even when they'd practice fighting stances back in Woodcrest. Even when _she'd _hit _him_.

And now, a good year later, she was back. It was like the powers that be just _wanted _him miserable.

"May I _help _you?" Huey asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. He _hated _what she did to him. With her he showed emotion. With her he actually _cared_. He hated how she knew him so well and that he'd just _let _his guard down long enough so that she could. She'd just upped and left, and he still. Freaking. Cared. Maybe not like before. _Nowhere _like before. But the fact remained that he still did.

How pathetic was _he_?

Maya glanced around, obviously taking everything in, before sitting down on the couch. She dropped her purse on the floor beside her feet, folding her hands neatly in her lap and staring up at him, who was leaning against the wall. Her brown eyes narrowed.

"You can stop being angry now." As opposed to him she seemed completely unaffected about being there. He knew for a fact that she wasn't, but if she weren't showing it what good was the knowledge? "I'm not staying long."

"I don't see what possessed you to come over here so damn late _anyway_."

She snorted. "Because you're never here during the day. What do you take me for, an idiot?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

The woman's eyebrow rose. "There's no need," she said, her fist clenching. "To be hostile."

"Of course not." He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Excuse me for being completely confused at the fact that just a couple days ago you were in Japan and now you're _here_."

"Like I said _before_," she said, leaning forward a bit. "If you would've picked up your damn phone, you would've known I was coming."

"I'm not always around it twenty four seven to wait for your precious phone calls, Maya."

She blinked, giving him a glance over. "Since when did _you _become so unreasonable?"

"Since reasoning with _you _only earned me a black eye in return."

She glared. He glared back. After a long bout of silence she sighed, shaking her head and staring down at the floor.

"I said I was sorry. A million times." She actually seemed remorseful about it. "When are you going to stop holding that against me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. A few more months? A few more _years_? _Never_?"

"Funny." She looked back up, her eyes hard again. "Your sarcasm's always so refreshing."

He didn't say anything. She straightened, looking him square in the eye.

"You look like you got hit by a bus." She shook her head, visibly concerned. "Did they ever find out what was wrong with you?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "No."

She pressed her lips together, leaning back in her spot. "Why not?"

"How the hell do you expect me to know?" he snapped. "Am I a damn doctor?"

"No, but you sure are acting like a damn _asshole_." Her eyes softened, a rare occasion. "I'm serious. I really _am _worried about you."

He sighed again, pushing off the wall and walking over to the sofa, sitting on the opposite end. He shrugged, glancing at her.

"It's not that big a deal."

"Are you serious?" She glared at him. "Aren't you worried about it at _all_?"

Stupid Maya. There was no hiding _anything _with this woman. He slowly nodded.

"Completely."

She frowned, glancing away. He stared up at the ceiling. After a few more moments of silence he turned towards her, giving her a look.

"So, _why _are you here again?"

Maya sighed, shrugging and pushing her hair behind her ear. She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.

"I…realize that we could have ended things better," she said quietly, staring down at her knees. He watched her. "I'm not here to beg you to take me back or anything like that. But I'd at least like to be what we were before we were…well…" she waved her hand, shrugging. "Whatever we were." She glanced back up at him. "And I don't mean this being civil to each other shit we've been doing. I mean actual friends. I don't like fighting with you."

"So, let me get this straight." Her eyebrow lifted. "_You _don't like fighting with me and _you _want to be what we were before, therefore since _you _want it I should just go along with it." He shook his head. "I guess that means you just think we should put this entire thing behind us."

She was looking at him strangely. "Yeah, actually." She blinked. "Why does that seem so wrong to you? Aren't you the one who's usually yapping off about how people should stop dwelling in the past?"

He was. She had him there.

"I don't _want _you to hate me, Huey." She sighed. "Okay? I don't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I asked for that divorce and I'm sorry for hitting you and I'm sorry for expecting you to just up and leave everything to come with me. Even though, you know, I thought people typically _did _that type of thing when they were married-"

"Ooh. Aren't you cute, pretending you know how a marriage works." Huey rolled his eyes. "No, Maya. No. People _don't _do that type of thing. They _communicate. _They compromise. If they can't find a solution they make it work. They don't _blame _the other person for not wanting to give up everything just to appease them."

She snorted. "_Someone's _been watching too much Lifetime." Her eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend that you know about the mechanisms of a _marriage_. You were just as reluctant about it as I was."

"It doesn't matter. Some things are just common sense, which I figured you of all people had a lot of. Guess that was my bad." His eyes hardened. When she didn't say anything he shrugged. "We're just too much alike. In the long run it never would've worked regardless."

She gave him a sideways glance. "Do you really believe that?"

His voice was filled with sarcasm. "It's what I tell myself to sleep at night."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't think that."

"And that's not my problem." When she shot him a dirty look he gestured towards the door. "You want to get out now?"

"Not really, no." She sat back and he mentally groaned. God, it was like having another _Denise _around. "So, tell me about this kidnapping thing."

Oh, god.

"What does _that _have to do with anything?"

"Nothing." She shrugged. "But I mean I'm trying to have a conversation. I haven't seen you in like, a year. Damn, Huey. Can I get _something _here?"

No.

He rolled his eyes, changing the subject. "Tell me about Japan."

She smirked. "Japan," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulders. "Is amazing. The film industry there is ahead on the times. And there's more art to their work as opposed to all the shit films the US is always putting out. Not to mention I finally got the hang of Japanese."

"I'm glad." When she shot him a dirty look he rolled his eyes. "_What_? I'm _serious_."

"I'm sure." Her voice was dry. He ignored it.

"So, how long are you going to be here until?"

She shrugged again, examining her shoes. "I got an extension. I go back August first."

He hoped she didn't think she'd just be able to bug him the entire summer.

"I want to be able to see you again." Her words broke him out of his thoughts. She was looking at him in that confident way of hers, her expression calm. She was better at being him than _he _was. "Would that be okay?"

He regarded her with a cool expression. Their interactions had always been so different than with other people. With other people they were unreadable. With each other, it was just too easy to see through appearances.

"Maybe." She didn't even bat an eyelash. "I'll think about it."

"Last time you said that you were never heard from again."

"I said I'd think about it. I didn't say I'd let you_ know _what I thought about it."

They glared at each other again. Only after a few moments both their gazes softened. Maya shook her head, looking away.

"Well, think about it and _let me know _this time."

She was so selfish and she didn't even realize it. Or maybe she did. He couldn't help but snort to himself.

It took a selfish person to know a selfish person.

He walked her to the door, his hands in his pockets. When she opened it she glanced over her shoulder at him, offering him a rare, apologetic look.

"I really am sorry."

"I'm sure." She glared at him. He shrugged. "I'll call you."

"You'd better." She shook her head, walking down the hallway without even saying goodbye, her long hair swishing behind her and her heels clacking on the floor. Once again, he couldn't help but realize she'd gotten the last word.

Damn her.

He sighed, closing the door and rolling his eyes. So _great_. His stupid ex wife was back, with her stupid know-it-all expressions and collected demeanor and she just thought she could earn his forgiveness at the drop of a hat. He shook his head, massaging his temples and heading for his room.

If she thought he'd just give in that easily, she was in for a rude awakening.

* * *

_April 14, 2016  
Miami, Florida_

_"You know," the old woman mused from behind the counter as she watched her employee flip the closed sign in the window, locking the door afterwards. "I believe there's some good news you forgot to tell me."_

_Jazmine glanced up, looking confused. Then, her eyes widened in realization._

_"Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "The shipment of purifying crystals is coming a week early."_

_The woman slapped her palm against her forehead, shaking her head as Jazmine went over to straighten a shelf display._

_"Not that, child!" She rolled her eyes. "Your acceptance to a medical school."_

_"Oh." The woman glanced over her shoulder, shrugging. "I guess it just slipped my mind."_

_"Slipped your mind?" Her boss threw up her hands. "I have been watching you when you work. You manage to keep this place afloat while you're here and keep your head buried in those books at the same time. And all that agonizing and panicking and crying and it finally paid off."_

_Jazmine paused before nodding, turning back to the display._

_"I guess."_

_"So, where did you decided to go?" When Jazmine didn't answer her she snapped her fingers. "Columbia?"_

_The younger woman shook her head, her voice soft. "I didn't get in."_

_"Well, those morons weren't good enough for you anyway..." The woman snapped her fingers. "University of Pennsylvania?"_

_She shook her head again. "Too much money."_

_"Well, sweetie…" A look fell over her face. "You didn't go with Hopkins, did you?" When Jazmine nodded she tilted her head to the side, resting her wrinkly elbows on the glass counter._

_"I thought you didn't want to go back home."_

_"I didn't. I don't." Jazmine dropped her hands from the shelf, turning around to face the woman. "But I hadn't decided yet and my parents…they're kind of going through it. I just feel like maybe I'm needed there."_

_The woman tsk tsked. "What have I told you about that?"_

_"About what?"_

_"That thing you do." She rested her chin in her hand. "Thinking of others before yourself."_

_"That's not what I'm doing."_

_"Really?" When Jazmine nodded she blinked at her with knowing eyes. "Then give me one good reason you have for going back to the place that you were dying to escape."_

_"It wasn't so bad near the end…" Jazmine shook her head. "It's not that I was dying to escape. And my best friend's still there. And I just-"_

_"Name one person." The woman's eyes narrowed. "Name one person who made being there worthwhile."_

_She paused, the silence hanging between them. After a few seconds she sighed, shaking her head again._

_"Please don't make me say it."_

_The woman's eyes softened and she nodded, backing off. As Jazmine moved on to another shelf she picked up an old book, flipping through it._

_"Did he ever remember?"_

_Jazmine snorted. "Why would he?"_

_"Sometimes, these things wear off."_

_"This one won't."_

_"And how do you know?"_

_"I know. It was a long time ago, alright?" Jazmine shot her a dirty look. "I wish I never would have let you practice that stupid memory spell on me-"_

_"Don't be that way." The woman offered her a feebly smile. She didn't return it._

_"I can't help it that I don't wanna be forced to remember things I don't want-"_

_"Ah. You remembered, with or without my prodding." The woman flipped her long braid behind her shoulders, giving her a sympathetic look. "You know, you aren't the first one who's had to suffer from that rule."_

_"Are you never gonna drop it?"_

_"Nope." The woman shrugged. "If you're going back to the place it all started, you're going to have to face it. The memories will be all around you."_

_"The memories," Jazmine said in a low voice. "Never left." When the woman didn't say anything she turned around, giving her a look. "It happened five years ago. I should be over it by now. I don't get why you've always insisted on dragging it back up."_

_The woman smiled._

_"Because." She clasped her hands together, leveling Jazmine with a look of her own. "You and I both know that we're probably two of the only practicing witches in Miami who-"_

_"I'm not a witch."_

_"You can call it whatever you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you are different. That we are different." She shrugged. "I have been around a long time. I can see things that others don't catch on to. And honey, it's not finished." Jazmine blinked. "Just because some memory was erased and essentially didn't happen, it doesn't make it finished."_

_"It is." Jazmine shook her head. "Lydia, it's over. Done."_

_"It's not." Lydia pushed off the counter, heading into the back room for her coat. Jazmine watched her. "It's not over. It's never been over. You're not done with him." She stopped, turning around to look at Jazmine. "And he's not done with you."_

_She disappeared into the back room. Jazmine swallowed, stepping towards the room._

_"For all you know, I won't ever even see him!" she yelled back so that the older woman would hear her, her voice filled with apprehension. She heard some shuffling before Lydia was poking her head out, rolling her eyes._

_"For all you know, you'll be seeing him sooner than you think."_

* * *

_May 17, 2016  
Washington, DC_

"I just don't know if we should."

"Uh huh."

"I mean, no offense, but what if the same thing that happened with you and Maya happens to us?"

"Mmm."

"Then we'll end up hating each other-"

"Yup."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope."

"You're the worst best friend ever." Caesar's voice was flat. "You know that, right?"

"Eh." Huey kept the phone pressed to his ear as he scanned the old family tree that was on the desk in front of him. He typed something on the computer, sighing. "I don't know why you're telling me like I can give you advice on it-"

"Because you _can_!" Caesar nearly whined into the phone. "What do you think?"

"I think that, statistically speaking, it ain't gonna work." Huey shrugged, even though he couldn't see it. "Why would you want to get married anyway? It's the same thing as a civil union. In fact, do you want me to tell you about the history of marriage? Marriage all started when-"

"Uh, stop." He heard Caesar sigh. "I don't know why after all these years I still try to ask your opinion."

"Me neither." He looked up as Denise shuffled into the office, ignoring Huey's typical "get the fuck out" glare and settling into the chair in front of his desk, flipping through a stack of papers she'd brought along. She cleared her throat, opening the folder.

"Let's see-"

"A-_hem_." Huey pointed to the phone at his ear with his free hand and Denise gave him a blank stare before snorting and going on.

"Maya Grace Johansen, aged twenty one." She grinned as Huey's eyes narrowed. "Born July thirteenth nineteen ninety four in Detroit, Michigan to Macy Tyler Johansen of Detroit and Zahir Qureshi of Dubai." She shrugged. "You never told me she was mixed. Half terrorist. Huh."

"Okay, for one, it was never your business." He held the phone away from his ear and gave her an odd look. "_She _doesn't even acknowledge that her dad's from west Asia. Secondly, that was probably the most racist thing you've ever said. And thirdly, may I ask what you think you're _doing_?" Huey nearly gawked at her. "You pulled up her personal _file_?"

"Relax." Denise waved her hand, continuing to read. "Attended the University of Virginia, graduated with a bachelor's in fine arts, film and photography-"

"You know, I was there. I know all this." Huey rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you feel the need to-"

"Because," Denise interrupted, glancing up at him with a confused expression on her face. "I am trying to figure out what's so special about this girl that makes you get your panties all in a bunch whenever she comes around-"

"They're always in a bunch." Both of them looked up as Owen rapped his knuckles against the side of the open door, stepping in and waving his own file. "If they weren't he wouldn't be normal." He flashed Denise a bright, un-Owen-like smile. "Hey, Denise."

Denise slid down in her chair, burying her face in her hands. "Hello, Owen."

Huey smacked his own palm against his forehead. What was _wrong _with these people? "Are you serious? Can you two _get out_?"

"Hey, I just came to show you something." Owen never took his eyes off Denise's red face. "I can't help it that I came at the right time."

"Can I go get you something?" Denise asked, her voice barely managing to hide the desperation. Huey couldn't help but smirk. "Some tea? Coffee? Can I go track down Maya Johansen's long lost Arabian father?" She leaned towards him, her hazel eyes pleading. "_Anything _to get me away from him."

Owen, as oblivious as he was, merely whistled and glanced around the office. Huey stared at her, his expression blank. Denise stared back. After a few seconds he sighed, waving his hand and holding the phone back up to his ear.

"Go…do whatever."

"Yay!" Denise let out a cheer, grabbing the file and racing past Owen, who watched her leave the room and slam the door shut behind her. He shook his head, turning back to Huey.

"Okay…" He flopped down in the spot Denise had just vacated, waving a file. "That was…interesting."

"This place is _weird_." Huey sighed. "Please go away."

"Who, me?" Caesar's voice sounded annoyed. "I'm not even there!"

"Not _you_…I'll call you back." He ended the call, glaring at Owen. "_What_?"

"Aren't you cheerful." He sat down in the chair Denise had just vacated, giving the document spread in front of Huey a curious glance. "What's that?"

"Nothing." Huey slid it out of sight, spinning around in his chair. "What do you want?"

"Okay, okay! Yeesh." He tossed the file onto Huey's desk, shaking his head. "Question. Did you ever figure out why you were the last person that girl called before disappearing?"

"No." Huey opened the file, glancing through it. "Why?"

"I don't know." Owen groaned, shaking his head. "I'm at wits end here, Freeman. We have nothing." He frowned, pushing aside a few papers to glance at the document again. "Seriously, though. What were you _looking _at-"

"You are one nosy son of…whatever." Huey rolled his eyes, holding up the page. "It's just an old family tree I found. Apparently my great-great grandfather and Jazmine's great-grandmother had something going on. Or something. It doesn't have anything to do with this-"

"Damn." Owen made a face. "So if ya'll are cousins…that makes that entire dating thing a problem, huh?"

"She's _not _my…" Huey sighed, waving his hand towards his computer screen. "I hate you. Anyway." Owen smirked. "I was on the internet and she only had children by this one guy she wound up marrying and he died in some fire…I'm pretty sure we're not related. Not that it would matter if we _were_," he added, glaring at Owen's smug look. "Is there ever anything on your mind other than-"

"I can answer that before you finish." Owen grinned. "Nope."

Huey sighed as the phone on his desk began ringing. He grabbed it, leaning back in his chair and giving Owen a pointed look that anyone would realize meant "beat it". "Hello?"

"Freeman, your doctor's on line two." Denise sounded worried. "You want me to transfer it?"

"My doctor?" He made a face. "How the hell did he even know to-"

"It's a yes or no question."

"_Fine_." He twirled the phone around in his hand, sighing when Owen made no move to leave. "What did you come in here _for_, man?"

Owen sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, okay." He bit his lip, scooting forward so that he could lean closer. His voice dropped to a whisper, as if they could really be overheard. "Let's say…let's say I'm beginning to buy this entire supernatural thing." Huey's eyebrows rose. "What would that mean?"

"What do you mean, "what would that mean"?" Huey shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know- hello." He put the phone back up to his ear, shaking his head. "You still there?"

"Yes," the voice of his doctor said, sounding not-too-enthusiastic. He rolled his eyes.

"Well, can you tell me what's _wrong _with me now?"

There was a pause. He saw Owen making a face towards him. Then, there was a sigh.

"Well…we think so-"

"Wow. You _think _so." This was annoying. This was _beyond _annoying. This was just ridiculous. "Either you know or you don't-"

"We'd need you to get yourself admitted." His doctor's grave voice stopped him. "As soon as possible. We'd have to run tests, specific ones. They take a couple hours, but if they determine the correct diagnosis you would have to remain in the hospital for at least another week-"

"_Another week_?" That meant by the time he got out it would be the twenty fourth! Jazmine would be _dead _by the twenty fourth. "No. I can't."

"Mr. Freeman, I don't think you understand." The doctor's voice was urgent. "It's miraculous that you've been able to function this long with…" He stopped, taking a deep breath. "We're not sure how much time you have left. If you leave this and it's what we think it is, you could be _dead _within a week."

Huey's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened.

_"It's going to come to a point where you'll have to make a choice. And the choice you make could save her or it could kill her."_

_"Why in the world would I choose to kill her?"_

"Are you there Mr. Freeman?"

_"Not every situation is black and white. You should know that."_

This was what it came down to. He snorted, shaking his head. Man. Life sure could do a number on someone. He saw Owen giving him a rare concerned look and turned away, glancing out the window.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was getting worse and he knew it. It was too much just to get up in the morning. Who the hell knew how he'd feel a _day _from then, let alone a week? He couldn't find her if he was dead.

But if he had to stay in the hospital, by the time she was found…_she'd _be dead.

It was either her or him. He could choose to save her, or let her die.

"Freeman." Huey glanced back towards Owen, who was visibly concerned. His eyes narrowed as if he were trying to figure him out. "What's wrong?"

It took a selfish person to know a selfish person. He knew this all too well because it was what he was. During his and Maya's relationship they'd invested so much time in themselves that they barely had anything left to give to one another. He was good at fighting other's battles, but he wasn't good at giving when it would earn him virtually nothing in return. He was selfish, yeah.

But it wasn't being selfish when he was just admitting how hopelessly slim the chances were of finding her, was it? He sighed.

"I have to go back to the hospital." He held the phone away from his mouth, his eyes boring into Owen's own. "They think they might know what's wrong with me. If they're right, I won't be out any earlier than the twenty fourth."

Owen blinked. Huey shook his head.

"I don't know what to do." He couldn't believe he was admitting this. He couldn't believe he was admitting this to _Owen _of all people. "I really don't."

Owen shook his head, shrugging. "What else is there to do?" He snorted. "You gotta look out for you, man." When Huey still looked reluctant he gestured to him. "You owe this Dubois girl _nothing_, Freeman. You barely even considered her your friend. You said so yourself. And it's already the seventeenth and…" His voice trailed off and he sighed. "It's getting to the point where we _all _know we won't reach her in time."

Huey stared at him for a few more seconds before he heard the doctor repeating his name. He sighed, placing the phone back up to his ear.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

When Huey had called his Grandad to let him know he was at the hospital again he wasn't surprised when he showed up an hour later, looking out of breath and disgruntled.

He _was _surprised when Caesar and Cindy came soon after, however.

And when Hiro, accompanied by Maya, filed into the room, he thought he'd have a heart attack.

"Why the hell are you all _here_?" he asked, giving them (mainly Maya) a look of disbelief. Cindy tossed her hair over her shoulders, shrugging. Grandad sucked his teeth.

"Boy, you need to be grateful that people care about yo sick ass!" He rolled his eyes. Maya sat in the chair beside Huey's bed, smirking towards her previous grandfather-in-law, who happened to glance at her. "And how are you, cutie pie?"

She grinned, shaking her head. "Hey, Mr. Freeman." Huey rolled his eyes. Cindy gave Huey a look.

"So, how long are you going to be in here?" she asked, her face filled with concern. It was a bit weird, actually, being that they didn't like each other all that much. Huey sat up, shrugging.

"It depends. Maybe just today." He paused. "Maybe a week."

Cindy's eyebrows lifted. "A week? But-"

"Shh!" Caesar elbowed her, giving her a look. "We said we wouldn't bring it up!"

"Bring what up?" Maya glanced towards them curiously. Cindy's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, I thought only the people who _cared _about him were supposed to be here?"

"Oh, shit!" Caesar laughed, managing to make it sound like a choking cough when Maya shot him a glare. Hiro, who had always been a close friend of Maya's, shot Cindy a dirty look.

"Could you not start right now, Cin?" He gestured to Huey's traditional scowl. "He obviously doesn't wanna hear it right now."

"And I don't wanna see _her _right now." Cindy snorted. "Some dreams don't come true."

Huey was really developing a liking for Cindy right then. Caesar shook his head. Maya massaged her temples, looking as if she were trying to keep her quick temper in check.

"Do not," she said in a warning voice. "Test me."

Cindy gave her a bored look but didn't say anything else when Caesar squeezed her hand. Hiro shook his head, glancing towards Grandad, who was smacking the remote and staring up at the TV.

"Hell _naw _I don't wanna watch no _27 Dresses_!" he shouted, glaring. "What the hell I wanna watch a movie about dresses for? Let me watch the _game_. Let me watch the _Celtics_! I don't wanna see no bullshit! I pay too many taxes for these hospitals not to give me some _good TV_-"

"How are you feeling?" Maya asked softly, ignoring the others. Huey was so tired he didn't even feel like giving her crap. Instead he shrugged.

"Eh."

"So…seven days is the twenty fourth." Cindy bit her lip nervously. Maya laughed.

"Wow. You sure do know your numbers."

"I also know how to break my foot off in your-_ow_!" Caesar had pinched her. She swatted him, glaring. Maya shook her head.

"And what's so important about the twenty fourth, exactly?"

"Nothing," Huey said quickly, not wanting to get into it. Even though he was doing nothing wrong by seeking medical attention for his deteriorating health, he was still having difficulty telling himself that. And by the way Cindy's nostrils flared, he could tell that his response had just made it _that _much worse. Sure enough, her fists clenched and she shook her head, glaring at him.

"Of course it's nothing to _you_," she snapped, causing everyone's heads to whip towards her, save Grandad, who was humming cheerfully now that he'd managed to find the basketball game. "Of course it doesn't matter that in a week my best friend could be _dead_."

"Huh?" Maya had a rare, confused look on her face. Hiro blinked.

"Wait, the twenty fourth's in a _week_?"

"Duh!" Cindy nearly shrieked, throwing up her hands. Everyone inhaled sharply, staring at her. "Of course I wouldn't expect you to remember! I'm the only one who cares about her! I'm the only one who's _ever _cared about her!" She shook off Caesar's hand, spinning on her heel and storming for the door. "I'm the only one who's ever _given a shit about her_!"

"Cindy, wait!" Caesar yelled, rushing out the room after her and leaving everyone to stare at the doorway in her wake. Huey shook his head, closing his eyes and sighing.

She _did _have a point, and for that he couldn't help but feel bad. Other than seeking help for math, their long ago conversations under the tree on the hill, and the occasional conversation, when had he _ever _given Jazmine a second thought? When she wasn't helping him with something, she didn't matter.

Then again, when she _had _been helping him with schoolwork, she was always surprisingly easy to be around, making the dullest of tasks more interesting. And despite their ten year old selves always getting mad at each other and her constant crying, she _was _good company.

And the occasional conversations…well, it was much, _much _easier to talk to her than a good percentage of people he knew.

Was it wrong for Cindy to just assume he _didn't _care?

He heard Hiro sigh.

"I cared about her." He sounded sad. "I always cared about her." Beside him, he felt Maya tense.

"Wait…is Dubois the missing girl?"

He nodded. He heard Maya let out a low whistle.

"Damn." She snorted. "That _sucks_."

He remembered Cindy's words to him when they'd been at the mall earlier that month and couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger. "You sure?"

There was a pause. He cracked open an eye to see Maya giving him a strange look.

"Yeah." She nodded, examining him as if trying to figure him out. "I am."

He shook his head, closing both eyes again and taking a deep breath. There wasn't a needle in his arm, there wasn't a needle in his arm, there wasn't a needle in his arm…

This didn't make him a bad person. He wasn't wrong for doing this.

Even if he wasn't…it sure didn't feel _right_.

"I hope you're not beating yourself up over this," he heard Maya say softly. As usual, whether she knew it or not, they were on the same page. "Because it's not your fault. You're not the one who abducted her, and you're not the one who chose to get sick. And you tried to find her. You really did." He felt her pat his shoulder. "You don't owe her anything."

Man. Her and Owen would get along _great_. He started to open his mouth but Hiro interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter if he _owes _her anything, My." He sounded as if he were trying to keep his temper, a rare thing, from getting out. "I don't blame him for getting admitted either. But it's not the fact that he doesn't _owe _her. If people went around only doing things because they _owed _someone, nothing would ever get done." He took a deep breath. "I'm just sayin. If it were you wouldn't you want him to try and save you despite him not owing you something?"

"Of course I would. Duh. But I wouldn't _expect _him to. And if he couldn't, I wouldn't hold it against him."

"Can you two just _stop talking_?" he snapped. He could feel them both staring at him. "Damn."

There was a pause. Then-

"Sorry, man."

"My bad."

The room fell into silence, at least until Grandad burst out laughing.

"Wooo! This fool dun fell on the court! Mmm mmm mmm." He laughed so hard that he had to catch his breath. "Need to get me on that court…yup! I'd be doin so many slam dunks that…what's his name? LeBron? Mavon? Well, him and his little buddy Toby Bryant would be lookin like some damn fools!"

"Yeah…we're gonna go get something to eat." Huey opened his eyes to see Hiro rising out of his seat, stretching. He glanced towards Maya. "You coming?"

"Yeah." Maya stood up as well, giving Huey a concerned look. "You want something?"

"No." He shook his head, his eyes flickering back up to the ceiling. She nodded, falling in step beside Hiro as they both head out the door. He sighed, running a hand across his face.

He wished these stupid test results would just come back…he yawned, closing his eyes again.

_"So you brought him here unintentionally." Anya nodded. "Instead of simply passing on to the afterlife his soul is now in limbo."_

_Huey's eyes widened. "You mean…I'm not dead?"_

_"Not yet." Anya frowned, shaking her head. "But you will be. Soon."_

He was vaguely aware of the soft sounds of rain hitting the windowsill of the hospital room before he was drifting off, not even trying to understand the images that were floating through his mind.

_Jazmine shook her head. "But, if he's in limbo-"_

_"You cannot just bring someone's soul back and give them life again without their being something given in return." Matthew shook his head. Jazmine's fists clenched._

_"Then give me an option," She said angrily. He glanced towards Anya, who nodded, before looking back at her._

_"A life for a life."_

_"Done." Jazmine nodded. Huey's jaw dropped._

_"Jazmine, have you lost your mind?" He glared at her. "I'm not letting you give up yourself for me!"_

_"Well, I'm not letting you die!" Jazmine shot back fiercely. "So I guess we have a problem."_

When had this _happened_? There was a possibility that his mind was simply making this up, but there was a larger part of him telling him that was far from the case.

_Anya cleared her throat, causing everyone to glance at her._

_"There's time and a half," She said. "Half a person's life span, along with the age the person they want to save was before they died."_

_"Done."_

_"Jazmine!"_

_"What?"_

_"You can't just say done without considering any of what you're agreeing to!"_

_Jazmine rolled her eyes. Huey glared at her, his eyes softening as he glanced towards the other two._

_"What else?"_

_Matthew and Anya glanced towards each other, exchanging reluctant looks. After a long pause, Matthew sighed._

_"We can reverse time."_

_Jazmine's head lifted. Huey blinked._

The rain was coming down harder, the sound of it managing to break through his thoughts. But only for a moment.

_"We can go back to the beginning of your sixteenth birthday to keep Huey from releasing Anthony," Anya said gravely. "Of course, it has setbacks."_

_"Like what?" Jazmine asked. Anya lifted her fingers._

_"For one," She said, glancing at Huey. "You would have to keep Huey from discovering your secret."_

_Jazmine blinked. She glanced at Huey, who nodded._

_"Okay."_

The scary part was, this was suddenly becoming eerily, harshly familiar.

_"Two." She looked at Jazmine. "You would have to become a guardian."_

_Jazmine made a face. "Excuse me?"_

_"I told you." Anya shook her head, her hazel eyes calm. "Renewing someone's life. It comes at a price. You will have to be a guardian. That meant not only would you have to help every ghost that came to you for help, but you'd also have to escort them to the afterlife using the astral plane." She paused. "It is a lot more dangerous than being a regular medium. While you are outside of your own body, it can be taken over by any spirit that feels inclined to do so. There will be a lot of ghosts, demons, warlocks…they'll want your power. It is not a common thing."_

_"If it's not so common, then why are you offering it to me?" Jazmine asked. Anya snorted._

_"Well. I could not be the only guardian in the family." She paused. "Another option, if you were not to become a guardian, would be to lock your powers. You would have to do either one, and it would have to be before twenty-four hours after time is reversed. Either you have it all, or you have nothing. That is the choice."_

_Jazmine's eyes narrowed. Anya glanced towards Huey, her eyes softening._

_"The third part," She said quietly. "Would be that once you go back in time, he will not remember any of this. Anything at all."_

_Jazmine frowned, glancing at him. He didn't look like he felt much happier about the situation. She glanced back at her great-grandmother._

_"Nothing."_

_She shook her head._

_"Even…" She swallowed. "Things not related to me having powers?"_

He bolted up, his eyes shooting open.

He didn't even need to let his thoughts come to him. He remembered the rest. He remembered it all on his own, word for word, breath for breath. He swallowed, rubbing his head as he let the rest of it come to him.

_"He is a mortal," Anya pointed out in a grave voice. "His memory will not know what has not, in actuality, happened. You will remember because you have powers. But he-" She nodded towards Huey. "Will remember nothing. No feelings, no events, no conversations. It will be as if it never happened."_

_Jazmine swallowed, staring at the ground. "…Oh."_

_Anya gave them both a sad look. "I am so sorry." They both looked to her. "I am sorry that these are the only choices you have."_

"Holy _shit_." Huey shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut again. It was as if some kind of floodgate had opened and a series of images, memories, _his _memories, were just spewing out, spinning around and configuring themselves so that he could make some sort of sense of it all.

_"There are rules with this kind of thing," She said quietly, so quiet that he had to strain to hear her. "You can't just go around, talking about your abilities. No one's supposed to know." She glared at him. "You aren't supposed to know."_

_He didn't say anything._

_"Fine. Fine." She looked aggravated. Extremely aggravated. "You caught me. I see what's going to happen before it does. It comes to me in my sleep, it comes to me when I touch things, it comes to me for shits and giggles. I see the future." She glared at him. "I'm a seer."_

At some point his Grandad had cut the TV off and left the room so that the only thing he could hear was the persistent rain as well as his thoughts.

_"I don't want someone who is exactly like me. In that case I might as well be dating myself. While it would be easier, I already know everything there is to know about myself. I'd much rather work to find out what I can about someone else."_

_Jazmine stared at him. "That makes sense."_

_"Good." Satisfied, he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Now stop annoying me about it."_

_"Fine." She shook her head, glancing away._

_"Huey."_

_"Hmm?"_

_She shrugged, frowning. "Do you think I'm complicated?"_

_"Oh, yeah."_

_She frowned, shaking her head. He studied her face for a moment._

_"It's not always a bad thing."_

He shook his head, opening his eyes again and glancing towards the door. He glared at the IV in his arm, resisting the urge to yank it out his arm. He could hear Owen, as well as Maya's words ringing in his ears.

_'You don't owe her anything.'_

Fuck that. He owed her _everything_.

"Mr. Freeman?" His head whipped up as a doctor suddenly walked into the room, holding a chart. "How are you-"

"I need to leave."

The doctor stopped, giving him a look. "Sorry…?"

"I have to go. Now." He tried to keep his voice even but shit, it was hard when you were suddenly remembering incidents that you hadn't remembered before, such as people somehow saving your life and you never even _knowing _it. The doctor shook his head.

"Mr. Freeman-"

"I don't care what you're going to say, and I don't care what's wrong with me at this point." He shook his head. "Unless whatever you're going to tell me will get me out of here by the twenty third then you might as well save your breath."

The doctor paused. "Well…no-"

"Good." He lifted his chin. "I'll be taking my discharge papers then, please."

"I don't think you understand the severity of this situation." The doctor eased into the chair beside his bed, giving him a look. "Your tests are quite done yet, but I am almost one hundred percent sure of what you have. And if it is so, you will need medical treatment immediately-"

"-then I'll come back to receive it the _twenty fifth-_"

"You may not have that long." The doctor gave him a perplexed look. "Forgive me for asking, but…is the reason you're leaving really worth risking your _life_?"

He was a selfish person. For him to want to live…it wasn't selfish in any way. And for him to stay in the hospital would in no way make him at fault.

At least, it wouldn't to others. But it would to himself.

"I'll never find out if you don't let me _go_."

The doctor sighed, shaking his head and rising to his feet. "I'll need you to sign a document stating that we gave you medical advice and that you're leaving against the physician's wishes."

"Fine." Huey waved his hand already. "Just get on with it."

The doctor shook his head again, leaving the room as Maya walked in. She jabbed her thumb behind her, frowning.

"Why does your doctor look so pissed?"

He shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

Maya stopped, giving him a suspicious look. "Why do you have that determined look on your face?"

He shook his head, chancing a glance towards her.

"I'm leaving early."

Her eyes narrowed. "Early as in…today?"

He nodded. "Today."

Her eyes narrowed even more. "And your doctor…is okay with this?"

He shook his head. "No."

Maya blinked. Then, she was laughing.

"Okay, let me get this straight." She held up a hand, her voice filled with disbelief. "Your doctor tells you could have something that is killing you. And…you're _leaving _the hospital?"

"I have to." He didn't know why he was bothering to explain it to her. "If I stay-"

"This is about your case, isn't it?" Maya put her hands on her hips. "Huey, you could be _dying_! I don't think anyone's going to hold it against you for taking a leave of absence!"

"I don't care about that." He could already feel his temper building. She shook her head, her brown eyes flashing.

"So, what?" She shrugged. "You're just going to die for the sake of _dying_? There has to be a reason, Huey. That's illogical."

It was. It really was. He shrugged.

"I really didn't ask your opinion."

"Well, I'm _giving _it." She glared at him. "Excuse me for thinking giving up your life for some woman who's probably already _dead _is stupid."

His own eyes hardened.

"And excuse me for not caring _what _you think." Her eyebrow lifted. "I stopped caring the day you decided to go live your own life. I may not have cared much _before _then." He shook his head. "So stop acting like you know what's best for me. You don't. You don't know as much as you think you do, and I doubt you ever did."

She blinked, surprised. And then, she snorted.

"I hope you know what you're doing." She spun on her heel, heading for the door again. "I really hope you do." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I'd hate for this to be the last time I ever saw you alive."

He didn't say anything. She walked out the room and he shook his head, lying back and staring at the ceiling as he waited for the doctor to come back.

Either this was the stupidest thing he'd ever done, or it was the…no, either way, it was stupid.

_"It's going to come to a point where you'll have to make a choice. And the choice you make could save her or it could kill her."_

He seriously hoped that he was making the right one.

* * *

Man, this one was long. Mmhmm. Hout to go watch a new episode of THE BOONDOCKS! YEEE-UUUHHHHH!  
Uh...thanks for reading! ...Review, please? :D

IF ANY OF YOU STILL CARE.  
(I enjoy capslock. A lot)

-Kelsey


	10. Back to Basics

Yes, it's been awhile. Yes, I am aware. NO I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BEAT ME UP. DANG.

Okay, either I've just been away a long ass time, or I just got more reviews than I expected; either way, thanks to CattySweet, MissG2020, anon, MizzC, insert psuedonym, instantLUNCH, BlueDolphin2011, KrisB.723, LSD1994, Kirara2468, betwixnbtw, and...wait, that's it, for the reviews! Haha. I'm insane. It's three in the morning. Ugh.

Long story short, I've been getting all my stuff together for when I move to a different state August 1st as well as getting things done to finalize me transferring to another school. My family life's been pretty..._insane_, but things have evened out as much as they will considering how insane we are. I finally, FINALLY found a major/minor I'm happy with: English and Art History. It took me forever to finally just do what I wanted as opposed to what I thought made the most sense and since I changed majors a good three times I'll probably graduate a semester late, but it's worth it. Oh, and I've been working more. Get money get paid. Yeeeeauuuuhhh.

...Okay, I get it. No one cares. lol.

So, here's chapter ten! Hope this SOMEWHAT makes up for the long wait.

_Disclaimer: **The Boondocks still isn't mine. **_

* * *

Back to Basics

_March 19, 2016  
Miami, Florida_

_"Ten."_

_"You think they're _all _tens, Cin."_

_"And you think they're all ones. What's up with that?"_

_"I'm picky. Sorry."_

_"We're rating their looks, not planning on marrying them."_

_Jazmine shrugged lazily, staring past her dark shades up to the clear, sunny sky. The water lapped at the sides of the dock the two women were stretched across, the tiny waves making sloshing sounds as they hit the wood. "Aren't you the one with the boyfriend?" She ignored Cindy's lip smack, sticking out her tongue. "How do you think he'd feel if he knew you were rating other men's-"_

_"Oh, so you gon snitch?" Cindy challenged, her voice such a perfect Riley imitation that the mulatto burst out laughing. "Seriously, though. You know I love my baby! But girl, you know I ain't blind-"_

_"Of course not." Jazmine shook her head, quickly rolling over to the edge of the deck as Cindy's said boyfriend himself came running past in his red swim trunks, screaming like a psychopath and throwing himself off the dock into the ocean._

_"CANNONBALLLLL!"_

_"Oh, shit!" Cindy and Jazmine both slid back as a giant spray of water hit them both, causing them to groan in unison. Caesar bobbed up to the surface, shaking his hair out his eyes and flashing both girls a grin. "Baby, what the hell?"_

_"What?" He gestured to them. "Why ya'll gonna wear bathing suits if you ain't planning to get wet?"_

_"Bow chicka ow-"_

_"Jazmine, shut up." Cindy lightly shoved Jazmine's arm, rolling her eyes. "We workin' on our tans, stupid."_

_"Oh." Caesar tilted his head to the side, giving her a funny look. "So…you're trying to turn pinker…?"_

_"Get outta here!" Cindy yelled, half laughing and half angry as she kicked a spray of water at him. He ducked back underneath the surface as the blond shook her head. Jazmine stuck her own feet in the water, glancing over at her best friend._

_"Thanks for coming down here." When Cindy blinked at her she shrugged and rubbed her arm. "Seriously. I mean it."_

_"Girl, boo." Cindy slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer for a one armed hug. "You know I got you. Plus you're acting like it was such a chore to have to spend a week in _Miami_-"_

_"She right, yo!" Caesar popped up again, treading water and ignoring the blank stare Cindy gave him. "Thanks for inviting me!"_

_Jazmine blinked. "But I…didn't…"_

_"Oh." Caesar shrugged, grinning. "Well, thanks for letting me freeload!" When he kicked more water towards them before diving back into the clear blue water Cindy snorted, giving Jazmine an apologetic look._

_"It wasn't like I planned for his ass to come or anything-"_

_"I know. I was joking." Jazmine shrugged. "It's okay. I like Caesar." She frowned, gently kicking her feet back and forth. "I'm just really gonna miss you when you leave tomorrow."_

_Cindy waved her hand. "You actin like I'm not gonna see you in another month and a half. We got the entire summer! _And _you movin' back to Maryland! You're moving to _Baltimore_!" Cindy pounded herself in the chest with a fist. "_I'm _in Baltimore!"_

_"Wow! I never knew that!" Jazmine rolled her eyes. "It's almost like we're _not _moving in with each other…minus the part where we _are_-"_

_"Shut up, smart ass." Cindy offered her a tiny smile. "To tell the truth, I'm glad you're coming back. I never thought you would. You always talked about staying in Florida or movin' back to Boston or heading out to California…" Her eyes narrowed. "What made you decide to come back?"_

_Jazmine sighed, glancing towards Caesar, who was floating lazily on his back with his eyes closed and his face tilted towards the sun. "Honestly?" When Cindy nodded earnestly she shrugged. "I don't know." When Cindy looked unconvinced she shrugged again, her curly ponytail bobbing on her shoulder. "I'm not joking! I have no clue! I didn't get into Columbia, UPenn was expensive-"_

_"I call bullshit!" Cindy chanted, causing her to pause. "Ain't you the one with the trust fund _and _the inheritance?"_

_"Inheritance?" Caesar quickly jerked to attention, struggling to stay afloat. Jazmine rolled her eyes. "You gotta inheritance? You got money?"_

_Jazmine glared towards Cindy, who merely grinned in response._

_"No." She looked back at Caesar, who frowned upon hearing that. "Not yet anyway. I don't get my inheritance until I'm twenty five. It's from my dad's mom." She made a face when she brought him up. "And my trust fund doesn't even kick in until my parents _die_, which I don't want to happen anytime soon, thanks."_

_"Ex_cuse_ me, money bags McGee." Caesar snorted. Cindy's eyebrows rose._

_"What the fuck is a money bags McGee?"_

_"Leave me alone!" Caesar whined, sticking out his own tongue. He splashed water towards Cindy, who stuck up her middle finger. Jazmine shook her head, yawning and staring out to the horizon. "Anyway, Jazmine better hope she _make _it to twenty five to cop that cash." When both Cindy and Jazmine gave him puzzled looks he twisted his face into a creepy expression, his voice taking on a mocking tone. ""You have something others want, something that others would kill for. And if you don't watch your back that's exactly what's gonna happen". Pssh, was that psycho psychic forreal?"_

_"Baby, that's not funny," Cindy said as Jazmine squirmed uncomfortably in her spot. "That was on the creepy side, on the real."_

_"Why? She obviously ain't no real fortune teller." Caesar shook his head. "She only did that whole "your days are numbered" thing to scare us and seem legit."_

_"Well, it worked," Jazmine mumbled under her breath. Caesar smacked his lips dismissively, waving his hand towards her._

_"Come on, Jazzy." He stared at her. "You don't seriously believe her?"_

_Jazmine rested her hands in her lap, biting her lip. "No…" When he gave her a doubtful look she pouted. "Well if you already knew the answer why'd you ask?"_

_"_Anyway_," Cindy interrupted, giving her boyfriend a hostile glare, which he quickly interpreted as "Shut up" and swam away again. "He's gotta point. That woman ain't know what she was talking about. So, on to the next subject…what we gonna do when you get back home?" She grinned. _

_"…What we usually do whenever I come home from school…?"_

_"I say we go on a trip." Cindy flashed her a grin. Jazmine frowned._

_"But if we're going to be getting an apartment together don't you think it would make more sense to save money?"_

_"Whateva." Cindy flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Live a little! It could be for…you know, to celebrate my big two-two coming up."_

_"What's so special about twenty two?" Cindy shot her a dirty look. "I'm just saying!"_

_"What's special is that I gotta excuse to go on a big ass trip with my best friend!" Cindy poked her shoulder. "I say France. Don't you got peoples in France?"_

_"Yeah, I guess…" _

_Cindy gave her a look. "You don't seem too enthusiastic." She whirled around on the dock to glare towards the water. "See, baby? You went an fucked up her mood bringing up that stupid fortune teller!"_

_"It's not that." Cindy glanced back over to her. She cringed. "Well…not really…"_

_"Whateva." Cindy sucked her teeth. "When you come back home you'll realize it was all just stupid ol' bullshit. And then, we can focus on more important things."_

_Jazmine sighed. "Like…?"_

_"Like getting you a man."_

_Jazmine smacked her palm over her face, shaking her head. "Not again. Please don't focus on "getting Jazmine a man"."_

_"Nope! Too late!" Cindy suddenly reached into her Jamaican bikini top, taking out a sheet of paper and ignoring Jazmine's mortified expression. "I've already got some prospects too, yo." She frowned at the soggy page that was soaked to the point of the dark ink being illegible. "Okay…well, I remembered it anyway." She balled it up and tossed it over her shoulder, clearing her throat. Caesar bobbed over as if also into the conversation. Which, with how nosy he was, turned out to be exactly what he was doing. "First off, there's Shawn Cooper."_

_"Uh, no." Caesar shook his head, causing the other two to glance at him. "That guy is straight trouble. Not to mention he's already got like, seven baby mamas-"_

_"Woooooo. Okay, moving on." Cindy shook her head, visibly wincing. "Uh…Butch Magnus."_

_Jazmine nearly choked. "Are you _kidding _me?"_

_"What? Girl, he got cute! _And _he's in the army now!"_

_"Cindy, I am not dating Butch Magnus!" Jazmine's nose wrinkled and she sighed heavily. "_God_…if you want me to date someone in the military I might as well go out with Riley!"_

_"Ooh!" Cindy snapped her fingers. "Riley!" Jazmine's eyes widened. "You should date Riley!"_

_"Cin, I was definitely kidding." The mulatto massaged her temples. "You know he's like my brother."_

_"Cin, your suggestions suck." Caesar rested his elbows on the deck, placing his chin on top of his hands. He shook his head. "Jazmine don't need no boys. She needs a _man_."_

_"Uh, Riley is _twenty_, baby."_

_"Yes. With the mind of an eight year old boy." When Jazmine looked ready to defend him he rolled his eyes. "Alright, he's more mature than he _was_, but still." His eyes narrowed and suddenly he had a mischievous look on his face. "You know who she'd be good for?"_

_"Uh…no one?"_

_"Nice, Jazz. Real nice...but no." Caesar glanced towards Cindy, grinning as if he were on to some inside joke. "Huey."_

_Jazmine rolled her eyes. "No."_

_"What are _you _thinking?" Cindy eyed her boyfriend. "Hun, they'd kill each other. Well…he'd kill her. Since he's physically stronger and all-"_

_"Hey!" When Cindy pursed her lips Jazmine shrugged. "Okay, she…does has a point."_

_"Yeah, but he's all jaded and grumpier than before since he got divorced." When Cindy burst out laughing he blinked. "And can I ask how that could possibly be funny?"_

_"Because!" Cindy threw up her hands. "How do you get married, get _divorced_, and get a job with the FBI all before you're done with Grad school? Who _does _that?"_

_"Huey Freeman, apparently." Caesar shrugged, looking back to Jazmine, who looked reluctant. "Plus, he and Jazmine get along."_

_"Yeah. And that's it." Cindy snorted. "Can you imagine them dating?"_

_"Can we _not _talk about my lack of a love life?" Jazmine blew a strand of hair out her face. "I'm not dating anyone, especially not Huey. Or Riley. Or Butch. Or anyone else you think of. I'm fine the way I am." She watched Cindy and Caesar's expressions fall. "Okay?"_

_Both of them nodded. She nodded as well, lying back down and staring up at the sky. There was a pause, followed by a small mumble._

_"Well, excuuuuuse me for not wanting my best friend to die_ _a virgin-"_

_"Cindy!"_

_"Well, it's true!"_

_Jazmine sighed. She really needed to get new friends._

_"I'm kidding. Damn." Cindy glanced down at her, grinning. "If you're happy single then I'm happy for ya." She winked. "But you could always change your mind. Especially if, you know, that entire fortune teller thing doesn't kill you."_

_Jazmine frowned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as the wind kicked up. Cindy pushed off the dock, throwing herself into the water with a loud scream and a splash. Jazmine continued to study the sky, not being able to help but feel a sense of dread fill her insides._

_"Chill." She looked to Caesar, who was still staring at her. "You're not gonna die. If you do, it's not going to happen anytime soon." He offered her a smile. "Okay?"_

_She forced herself to nod, even when everything else in her said otherwise._

* * *

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Ask me again," Huey couldn't help but snap across the room to his best friend, opening the closet door. Caesar, who was slowly opening his suitcase, blinked in mild surprise. "Seriously. Ask me one more damn time. The answer _ain't _changed. I'm not going back to the hospital until after the twenty fifth."

"Uh…okay." Caesar scratched the back of his neck. "That was totally _not _what I was referring to. I was talking about you letting me crash here while my place is getting cleaned, but-"

"Oh. My bad." Huey massaged his temples, rolling his eyes. "It's just that's all I've been hearing since earlier. It's pretty annoying."

"Well, I am kind of on their side." Caesar tossed a t shirt on the bed, shrugging when Huey's eyes narrowed. "I'm just sayin! I mean, you're dying? And you're avoiding getting it worked out to save some girl who you barely talked to? That doesn't seem very rational. And being irrational isn't like you at all, man."

"It doesn't make sense. I know." Huey shook his head, shrugging. "It's just something I've gotta do."

Caesar looked like he wanted to say something else but instead he slowly nodded, staring at his friend with an unreadable expression.

"If it's what you want…I just hope you know what you're doing." When Huey merely gave him a bored look in response he shrugged again. "Forreal though, thanks. For letting me use the spare room and all."

"It's whatever." Huey started out the room but Caesar's voice stopped him.

"Do me a favor, man." When he glanced over his shoulder towards the dreadhead he smirked. "Answer a question."

"Okay…"

"Are you still operating underneath the "no emotional attachment policy", or is it safe to say you've just let the entire thing get to you?"

Huey rolled his eyes. "Nothing's gotten to me." When Caesar continued to smirk he shook his head, spinning around on his heel again and continuing out the room. "Shut up." When his words only caused Caesar to snort he closed the door to the spare bedroom, shaking his head and turning around. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Freda standing a good six feet away, leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. His expression of surprise instantly fell into one of disdain.

"You could've told me I had _erased memories_," he grumbled under his breath, walking past her as if she weren't there and heading for the kitchen. The dead woman fell into step beside him, looking mildly amused.

"For goodness sakes, child." She shook her head. "I all but _spelled _it out for you." She ignored the glare on his face. "Any more plain and you would've been knocked upside the head with the truth. And I don't appreciate you talking to me in that tone."

He shook his head, inhaling through his nose. "You're lucky someone else is here. Otherwise you'd _really _hate my tone of voice."

"Who you talkin to, man?" a sudden yell from the spare bedroom sounded. Huey rolled his eyes.

"Your mother!"

There was a pause.

"Man, that's _my _line!"

Huey shook his head, ignoring Caesar. Freda glared at him for a few moments, but then eyes softened. Her eyes were so much like _hers _that it was like a punch in the gut just looking at her. She sighed.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." She shrugged. "Not many people would bother believing it. They'd think they were losing their mind."

"I haven't ruled that out yet," he mumbled, his voice much lower. He shook his head, reaching into the cabinet for a mug. He snorted. "It's just ridiculous that all this time…"

Freda's expression was thoughtful. "If you want to get technical, it never actually happened."

"If it didn't happen," he practically snapped. "She wouldn't have remembered it all these years. And I wouldn't remember it now." He blinked. "Is that why she almost never talked to me? Or-"

"None of that matters at this point." Freda's voice was firm. He shook his head.

"No. It _does _matter." He slammed down the cup and glared at her. "Maybe you're unfamiliar with having your _memory _tampered with, but it's enough to _piss you_ _off_. So, yeah. It matters."

Freda shook her own head, frowning. After a few seconds she sat down at the kitchen table, resting her hands on her knees and giving him a look.

"You're upset because you remembered after years of forgetting."

"Uh, _duh_!"

Her tone was dry. "Then imagine how it is to remember and never forget when everyone else _has _forgotten." Her eyes narrowed. He stared at her. "You're not the only one this entire thing upset. But it happened and it's done."

"See, it's not that easy." He snorted, glaring back just as hard. "Because, if my memory's correct, which I don't even fucking _know _at this point-" Freda rolled her eyes. "-that would make Owen's stupid claims _true_."

Freda shrugged. "And what if it does?" When he blinked at her in response she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Just because as a teenager you loved her it doesn't mean you're obligated to love her now."

"I didn't say that."

"Then what are you _saying_, child?"

"I don't know _what _the hell I'm saying!" he yelled. It was her turn to blink in surprise. "I'm saying that there's a part of my life I didn't even _remember_, and that if I had things could have gone a lot more differently!"

"Oh, of course." Freda's voice was filled with sarcasm. "You could've been sixteen and _dead_." His eyebrows lifted. "But then again, Jazmine wouldn't have felt even more tempted to go to a school in a place where she'd get abducted. So at least _her _ending would've been happy. If your memory's so sharp you'd _remember _that if it wouldn't have been erased like the deal entailed, you wouldn't be here having this conversation now. You would have been gone from this earth years ago. And keep your voice down unless you want your little friend to overhear you."

"You just _had _to put it that way, didn't you?"

"I am merely being logical." Her eyes narrowed. "You of _all _people should appreciate that." When he merely glared at her in response she shrugged. "It is a hard pill to swallow, knowing that a portion of your memories were absent. Like you young people are always saying these days, "it sucks"." Her eyes bore into his own. "But there's nothing you can do about the past. All you can do is change the future." She shrugged again. "Now, what are you going to do about _that_?"

He stared back, not saying anything. And then he was shaking his head, grabbing his car keys and heading for the front door, not bothering to look back and see if she were still there.

* * *

_"What do you see?"_

_She wasn't looking at him. In fact, he wasn't sure what exactly her focal point was. Either way he stepped forward, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched._

_"I said-" he barked louder in order to get her attention. "What do you _see_?"_

_The woman shook her head. She was lying on the floor, her feet and hands bound together and her eyes still on the ceiling. He groaned, causing her to finally glance towards him._

_"I'm not an idiot." When she looked back at the ceiling he glared. "You _have _to have seen something by now."_

_She quietly shook her head and he snorted, throwing up his hands and spinning around._

_"Then what do I have you for if you can't give me what I _want_?" He shook his head. "I might as well just kill you now."_

_She snorted as if finding the entire situation funny, and shrugged as she looked at him again._

_"You might as well."_

_His head whipped back towards her but she was once again staring upwards. He sucked his teeth, evaluating her with critical eyes._

_"If you think you're doing me any favors by keeping me alive when all I'm going to do is die anyways," she finally said softly, her voice raspy. "Then you're insane." She shook her head. "I thought I'd be able to get away. I guess I underestimated you, just like you underestimated me."_

_"So, what?" He waved his hand. "That's it? You give up?"_

_She blinked, as if considering options. Then, she shrugged again._

_"Guess so."_

_"Well." He sat down, resting his hands on his knees. "That surprises me." When her brow knotted in confusion he rolled his eyes. "What made you come to that conclusion?"_

_"You hit me in the head with a _rock_." She closed her eyes, sighing. "Why bother waiting until the twenty fourth? Why not just do it now?"_

_"Because-" He stopped, his eyes hardening. "I never said I was waiting until the twenty fourth."_

_The woman shook her head again. "Because I really need you to say things in order to figure them out." He sat up straighter. "If you do it the twenty fourth it's not gonna work. I can tell you that now. You'll have to take someone else." The way that she could talk about her potential death so casually made his eyebrows rise in surprise. She paused, swallowing and opening her eyes. She obviously didn't notice the look of shock spread across the man's face. "The twenty first is a full moon. It'll be easier to get what you want from me."_

_"Why are you telling me this?" he asked warily. She glared at him, struggling to sit up._

_"Because either way I'm gonna die, that's why!" she nearly screamed, her own eyes hard. "Because you're going to kill me no matter what and I don't _care_ anymore since I'm not going anywhere! If you're going to do it then at least do it right." She shook her head. "And don't go after anyone else. After you get what you need from me, just let it go."_

_"Let it go?" He rose to his feet again, his jaw clenching. "Let it _go_?" She stared back down at the ground. "That's what you think I should do? You don't even know-"_

_"I know," she interrupted coldly. "More than you think-"_

_"I had a sister." She looked up again, blinking and closing her mouth as he cut in. His expression was calm. "Did you know that?" Before she could answer he snorted, shaking his head. "Of course you didn't. Or maybe you did." He shrugged, a strand of his hair falling into his face. "You remind me a lot of her. That's what drew me to you in the first place, when I saw you that day." He paused, as if letting his words sink in. "You were very kind, even though you were suspicious of me. Even when I came for you, you didn't put up a fight. You made me promise after you there'd be no more." He eyed her. "You knew you were going to die."_

_It wasn't a question. After a few seconds she found herself nod slowly, which caused him to smirk. He rested his hands on his knees, his own eyes lowering._

_"My sister fell in love with one of your kind." His features darkened even more than before. "He could see things that hadn't happened yet, like you. I only knew because my sister told me and made me swear not to tell anyone. And I didn't." He paused. "At least, I didn't until she was killed."_

_Her eyes widened. He smirked at her reaction as if there were something funny about the situation._

_"Turns out not all of your kind are good." His voice was low. "Maybe I should have known that, but I didn't. Some bad people came after him. My sister was caught in between it. And because of her being with him, because he didn't bother trying to protect her, she's dead." She swallowed as he shook his head. "You ever lost someone you loved?"_

_She didn't say anything until she saw him look at her expectantly and realized his question wasn't rhetorical. "…Yeah." Her voice was soft. "I have."_

_"It sucks." He shrugged. "It sucks that she had so much going for her and thanks to some worthless freak she's gone. I want her back." His gaze flickered towards her. "That's why I need your powers, you see. It's because I want my sister back. I want revenge on the dark ones who took her life. I want them to fear me the same way she feared them before she died." When she didn't say anything his eyes narrowed. He stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head and dropping to his knees again._

_"You won't try and escape anymore?" When she shook her head his brow rose with skepticism. "Are you lying to me?"_

_"I told you." Her voice was sad. "I'm not a liar."_

_"Then fine. We have a deal." He smirked, shrugging as she looked up. "The twenty first it is." He turned away. "I'll try to make it as quick as possible."_

_Something about his words seemed to strike a chord, for she looked up with an unreadable expression on her face. Before he could walk away she spoke again._

_"When people say that," she said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. "It's usually a lie." He turned around to look at her again as she took a deep breath. "The truth is that in most cases you're going to be awake the entire time. The truth is that in most cases you're going to feel the entire thing. And the truth is that in most cases, when people tell you that someone who lost their life went so quick they didn't feel the pain…well, they're lying." He blinked. She looked away. "I used to be afraid of dying, which is funny since I've always been a bridge between life and death…but I still don't know what happens after you pass on. I don't know if there's a heaven or a hell. I don't know if, after you finally pass on, if there's even anything." She swallowed heavily; her eyes filled as she finally met his eye again. "But there has to be more than this. There does. I can't stand the thought of dying after dealing with so much _crap _and then nothing happens. This just…" Her voice trailed off and she sniffed. "I'm not scared of death anymore. But I'm scared of the end. This can't be it. This can't be all there is."_

_He watched her, his own expression unreadable. After a few moments of silence that was only broken by her tiny sniffs he sighed, rubbing his head._

_"There's more." His voice was surprisingly calm. She looked up, her eyes still running over. "At least, for you. There's something more than this life." When she sniffed again he nodded. "The twenty first. I'll do it then."_

_She nodded, slumping back against the wall. He evaluated her again, as if contemplating something._

_"They say revenge destroys everything. Have you heard that?" When she didn't respond he shrugged. "All I've wanted is to pay back those who killed someone who really meant something to me. But for all the people I've killed in the process…does it make me a better person?" Before she could say anything he snorted. "Of course not. At this point I don't care what kind of person I am. I have to do this. I have no choice."_

_"You do." She nodded. "You always have a choice."_

_"Not if I want to be able to live with myself again, I don't." He shook his head. "Revenge, it does destroy everything. Even innocent people." He sighed. "There isn't hope for me, and I accept that. I don't need hope. I don't need redemption. My ending probably won't be happy and I know that. And I'm sorry about it." He snorted. "You did nothing to deserve this, and I'm sorry this is how it's going to end for you. But I need what you have in order to make this all worthwhile. I can't find my own peace until I do get my revenge. Even if it means I destroy myself." He closed his eyes. "Killing you is a lot harder than it was for the others."_

_She frowned sadly. "But it doesn't change anything." He opened his eyes again. "Does it?"_

_"No." He smirked, shaking his head and walking out the room. "Doesn't change a thing."_

* * *

"Where's Skyler?"

Huey ignored the way Denise's jaw dropped when she glanced up from some papers on her desk to see him standing in front of her, his traditional scowl accented with impatience. She gaped at him in surprise, blinking.

"Freeman?" She set down the phone that had been at her ear as he rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to be in the hospital."

"And I appreciate you letting me know that," he replied dryly. "But I need to talk to Skyler _now_. Before Owen's dumbass goes and gets us off the case-"

"Yeahhhh…about that." Denise whistled through her teeth, wincing as Huey's eyes narrowed. "He already did that yesterday afternoon. But it's fine!" She obviously thought he looked annoyed for the wrong reason. "He was perfectly okay with it, which is why I don't understand why you're _here_-"

"Look, is he in his office or what? I don't have all day."

Denise's eyebrow arched and she gave him a suspicious look, sitting up straighter. "He's in there, yeah, but he's kind of busy-"

"Whatever." Huey started down the hallway. "Thanks."

"Hold up, Freeman!" The sound of a chair sliding back followed by the rapid clacking of heels only made him speed up his pace. "What are you doing?"

"Minding my own damn business!" he snapped, not even looking back. Denise finally caught up to him, giving him a severe look.

"Don't tell me you're trying to get put back on." When he didn't say anything her own eyes narrowed. "Are you _joking_?"

"Yeah." His voice was filled with sarcasm. "This is one funny ass joke." He sighed as Denise suddenly slid in front of their boss' door, planting her feet on the floor and lifting her chin. He gave her an exasperated look. "Denise, can you move?"

"Okay, look." She put her hands on her hips. "You can't just walk in here when you're supposed to be in the _hospital_, looking like a ragamuffin-"

"Did you seriously just call me a _ragamuffin_?"

"You heard me!" she hissed, jabbing her index finger in his chest. "You need to go take care of yourself and let the others handle this."

"You don't know _what _I need to do," he shot back, knocking her hand aside. "Because the higher ups are only worried about finding the killer at this point. They're not worried about finding the victim."

"And you are?" Denise argued. He glared at her.

"Yeah. I am. So get _out _of my way."

Denise hesitated.

"I'm not afraid to _make _you move."

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea…oh, did you _have _to make that face?" she asked when his nose wrinkled in response to her words. "Fine, fine." She waved her hand, stepping aside. "Whatever. But I'm warning you, you should probably wait. He's in a-" She stopped when Huey grabbed the doorknob, twisting it and pulling the door open without bothering to knock. She winced, glancing up at him when he blinked at the good eight others who blinked back.

"Meeting."

"Wow, Denise." Huey shook his head. "_You're _helpful."

"Hey!"

"Excuse me?" A woman who was wearing a dark blue suit sat up, giving Skyler, who was at the head of the rectangular shaped table, a puzzled glance. "Do you mind telling me who he is?"

"Either he's a ghost we all see or a zombie." Skyler shook his head, smiling gently as he glanced towards the not amused man hovering in the doorway. "It's always a pleasure, Mr. Freeman. Was your hospital stay cut short?"

"Something like that." He took a step into the room, ignoring Denise's tiny squeak. Unlike most people he wasn't exactly affected by those who held authority over him. If anything, that was more reason for him _not _to take them seriously. "I need to talk to you."

"Well." The woman eyed him. "As you can see, we're kind of in the middle of-"

"I believe I was talking to him." Huey's dismissive tone caused everyone's eyebrows to shoot up. "Not you. Alright, thank you." He turned towards Skyler again, who was examining him with a calm expression. "I need to get put back on the kidnapping case-"

"Excuse me." Denise suddenly darted in, stopping beside him and offering the room apologetic looks. "He's still sick and I'm pretty sure he's _delusional _right about now, so forgive his behavior. He doesn't know what he's talking about-"

"Denise, get _out _of here!" Huey snapped before turning away again. "I know _exactly _what I'm talking about."

"Huey, it's fine." Skyler gave him a reassuring smile, which only served to irritate him more. How many more people were going to tell him shit was fine when it obviously _wasn't_? "We have people on it. You don't have to worry about it-"

"See, that's where you're wrong. Because I do." He shook his head. "Put me back on it or deal with me working on it regardless. I'll do it with or without your approval."

"You're _pushing _it, Freeman…"

"You're irking my _nerves_, Denise…"

"Is this how he always addresses you?" The woman asked, her voice filled with disbelief. Instead of responding to her question Skyler simply waved his hand, slowly turning in his chair so he was facing the window.

"Everyone's dismissed." While everyone exchanged looks he snapped his fingers. "Ah, except for Freeman. Freeman, you stay."

"Ooh!" a low voice hissed. "Freeman gon _get _it!"

Huey rolled his eyes, watching the others slowly file out the room while giving him looks of confusion, disbelief, or annoyance. Well. It was a good thing he wasn't there to make _friends_. As the room cleared Skyler placed his fingertips together, glancing over Huey's shoulder with a smirk.

"I believe you were included in the "everyone" category, Ms. Stanton."

Huey shot a dirty look over his shoulder towards Denise, who was still standing there with her hands clasped in front of her. She made a face, stepping back.

"Oh! Yeah. My bad. Uh…" She jabbed her thumb behind her. "I was just, you know, guarding the door! Because people could…you know…sneak in-"

"Denise." That woman could be so damn _irritating_. Denise smacked her lips, spinning on her heel.

"Alright, dang!" She closed the door behind her so that it made a tiny click and Skyler shook his head, resting his elbow on the armrest of his chair and staring back up at Huey. The African American took a deep breath.

"Look-"

"You know, you fascinated me the first day you came on the job." Skyler's words made him clamp his mouth shut. He shrugged as if what he was saying was common knowledge. "Innovative, resourceful, witty. Those were, and still are, some of the words that could be used to describe you. Those are words I enjoy linking to myself as well." When Huey didn't make a move to interrupt him he went on. "I have received quite the amount of backlash for letting you take over the east coast kidnappings case, being that you are not even of age to be considered a fulltime agent. I didn't care. I figured that you were the right person for the job."

He couldn't help but snort. "And now…"

Skyler looked at him like he was nuts. "What do you mean "and now"?" He shook his opinion. "My opinion hasn't changed."

Huey blinked.

"You don't think like others." Skyler tapped his forehead with his index finger. "Your thought process is clear and concise as well as limitless. You aren't afraid to think outside of the box. You aren't afraid to take matters into your own hands, which is something an overwhelmingly large amount of people can't do. And when you find a cause, you stick by it until you take your last breath. You have drive." He leaned forward. "Tell me, what made you leave the hospital early?"

Huey shrugged. Somehow, this conversation wasn't going the way he'd expected it to. "I…wanted to finish what I'd started."

"Ah." Skyler nodded, a smirk falling over his features. "That makes sense." As Huey looked away he cleared his throat to regain his attention.

"We often tell others, as well as told ourselves, that we can't let feelings get in the way of what we do," he said in a quiet, almost knowing, voice. "Personal feelings get in the way. They can hold back one from what they set out to do. But they aren't always such a bad thing."

_What? _"…What?"

"You see, Mr. Freeman," Skyler went on casually, lifting a hand. "Who do you think would accomplish more? The one whose impassionate logic leads them, or the one who lets their instincts and feelings motivate as well as guide them to their goal?"

Was this a trick question? "…I'm assuming you're going to tell me it's the second one."

Skyler nodded, smiling fondly.

"You see, Freeman." He spun around towards the window again, drumming his fingers on the table. "For those who run on logic, when the clock strikes five they go on with their lives. They are separated from their cause to the point where the outcome can be altered. If you have no personal motivation, then what is the point of completing the task you've set out to do?" When Huey didn't say anything he turned back around, regarding him with a look.

"I didn't choose to place you in this position because you're clever, or smart, or anything along those lines." He raised his chin. "I chose you because, despite your impatience, your quick temper, your standoffish demeanor…you were the one who I knew wouldn't just consider this case a nine to five. You may not enjoy the actions of those around you as well as those who influence our society, but you care." He shook his head when Huey went to protest. "There is nothing wrong with caring. Caring is what our society has forgotten. Not caring is why we have psychopaths who are willing to kill complete strangers. You say you have disdain for people…you don't. You hate their actions. You hate the decisions they make. But you don't hate them. Otherwise, you wouldn't bother to try and help them in the first place, would you?"

If Skyler wasn't such a sense making white man Huey would have completely dissected that theory; after all, he didn't _care _about people! But the more he thought about his boss' words, the more he couldn't help but wonder...when the _hell _did he decide to go soft?

"Today is the eighteenth," Skyler continued in a nonchalant voice, turning back towards the window. "I believe that gives you a good five days to try and save your friend?"

Of _course _he'd know that Jazmine was his friend. He nodded, not really letting it dawn on him that Skyler couldn't see it until he was getting a questioning look.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Then I guess you'd better get on it then, huh?" Skyler snorted, pulling out his PDA and examining it while waving his hand. "Feel free to go now."

Huey blinked at him for a few seconds before, realizing how ridiculous he looked, spinning around on his heel and heading out the door. He rolled his eyes as he saw Denise push off the opposite wall, her eyes filled with curiosity as she fell in step with him.

"What did he say?" When Huey didn't reply her jaw dropped. "He fired you, didn't he? Oh, my god, I _told _you not to bust in there like Ghostbusters-"

"He didn't fire anybody, so calm down." He sighed as he pressed the up button in front of the elevator, shaking his head. "You're stepping on my foot."

"My bad!" Denise quickly moved her foot, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where the hell are you going _now_?"

"Why is it your business again?"

"Because I'm your secretary!" she snapped as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. "I can't just tell people who come for you "Oh, Mr. Freeman's out at god knows where and I have no idea when the fuck he'll be back"!"

"…What's wrong with saying that?"

"Charming, Freeman." The doors opened and he walked out, Denise close on his heels. "Realllll cute."

"Shut up." He walked up to another secretarial desk, a brunette with drawn on eyebrows glancing up from her computer. "Sheldon in there?"

"Uh-"

"You're helpful. Thanks." Huey walked past the desk, not bothering to wait for Denise, who was apologizing to the bewildered secretary, and opened the door to see Owen sitting on his desk with his phone to his ear. The way he was grinning let on to the very obvious fact that whoever he was talking to had _nothing _to do with occupational purposes.

"Now you _know_ you're the only woman for me," he was saying in an un-Owen-like baritone, not even noticing the funny looks he was getting from Huey and Denise. At least not until Huey cleared his throat, causing him to start. "Uh, just a minute…" Owen pressed the hold button before placing down the phone and, in an annoyed voice, nearly yelled "_What_?" He blinked. "Wait, what the _hell _are you doing here?"

"Great to see you too. Okay, look." Huey's eyes narrowed. "I know you think you're slick and all giving up the case by using my medical problems as an excuse, but no."

Owen smirked. "Is _that _what I was doing?"

"Don't patronize me, Mr. Sarcasm." Owen frowned. "Now, I'm back on it because unlike _your _sorry ass, I'm not declaring her a lost cause or dead until I _find _her. You can help me or not. I really don't give a damn." He sighed. "But, as much as I'd hate to admit it, it _would _help if you would get back on it." When Owen continued to stare at him he sucked his teeth. "_What_? Do you want a _written invitation_? Just do it!"

Owen blinked again, then shrugged. "Okay."

Huey paused. Even Denise looked surprised.

"…Okay?"

"Fine." Owen sat up, snorting. "Did you think I'd say no?"

"Well…yeah, actually."

"Huh." Owen stroked his chin before sliding off the desk. "Well, you were wrong. I can't just leave you to look for your little girlfriend on your own."

Huey scowled. "It's sad. For a split second, I forgot that I hated you." His tone was dry. "Thank you for reminding me."

"No problem." Owen dusted his hands off. "So, where do you want to start?"

"Aren't you going to get the girl off hold?" Denise asked, pointing past him. Owen's face fell into another flirtatious smile.

"I'm sorry, what?" When Denise gave him a confused look he lifted his eyebrows. "Your radiant presence made me forget that other women existed."

"Oh, god." Huey smacked his hand over his eyes. Denise made a face before spinning on her heel.

"Andddd that's my cue to leave." She quickly skated out the door, shutting it behind her. Owen shook his head, sighing.

"One day," he mused. "She'll realize that we're meant to be together."

"Right."

"I know. Now!" Owen directed his attention towards his younger partner. "Now, once again, what do you recommend we look at? We've been everywhere that could give us information about her disappearance. We've talked to everyone who was close to her. What else is there to look at? Her _family_'s family?"

"Not _her _family's family." When Owen looked confused Huey shrugged, smirking. "We're going to have to get a serious history lesson. We're going to have to go back into their family history."

"You mean…" Owen scratched his head. "Her ancestors?"

"Not her ancestors." He shook his head again. "We've got to look at the ancestors of the _other _victims."

Owen's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"

"Origins." Huey shrugged. "We have to find out where this entire thing's going. And to do that we have to look into where everything started. Not for the killer. But for the victims."

"Ah. Find out more about this so-called supernatural business." Owen nodded. "Can we really do that in five days?"

Huey folded his arms over his chest.

"Do we really have a choice?"

* * *

Hell NO ya'll don't have a choice. Shoot.

This seemed horribly short to me, but according to Microsoft word this was over 7,000 words. Huh.

Thanks for reading! And cool points to anyone who can go set M. Night Shymalam (sp? Oh well, don't care) on FIRE FOR DESTROYING THE MOVIE BASED ON MY SECOND FAVORITE CARTOON OF ALL TIME (Behind Boondocks, of course. Oh, and Inuyasha). SOANGRYSOANGRYSOANGRYAHHHHH!

...And when you're done beating him up for me, leave a review!

-Kelsey


	11. Seventy Two Hours

Sooo...it's been a long ass time, no? Lol. I have no freaking clue if anyone still reads any of these stories, but for anyone who does, thanks. And sorry for it being like, a year and a half since I've updated. Life is funny sometimes. I'd elaborate, but really, there's no point. Thanks to anyone who's reviewed, thanks to anyone who _will _review, and here's hoping that I'll actually update way more frequently than this. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with The Boondocks. Damn, everyone should know that by now.

* * *

Seventy Two Hours

_October 23, 2015  
Woodcrest, Maryland_

_Jazmine wasn't in Maryland much those days, but whenever she was she had to go to the tree._

_It had been her favorite tree since she'd first moved to Woodcrest when she was ten. In fact, her and Huey had once had an argument over who owned the tree, with Huey pointing out that he'd been there first and Jazmine bringing attention to the fact that neither one of them had direct ownership over the work of nature. Or course they'd wound up sitting under the lone tree on the hill that overlooked the sleepy suburban town many days together, simply staring up at the clouds or pretending to care about whatever each of them had to say. The older they'd gotten the less they'd seen each other, and finally Jazmine was able to claim the tree for her own…at least when she'd arrive to it to see that she was alone and that for the time being, the entire hill, the tree and the sky were hers to keep._

_She hadn't been to the tree in nearly a year. Jazmine took in a deep breath of late October air, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of the wind whistle through the leaves that were beginning to fall off the branches. She'd spent her junior year of college in a continuous state of stress, spending her fall, winter and spring breaks all in Florida so that she could stay caught up on her work. She and Cindy had spent the summer in Los Angeles with Hiro and his girlfriend, only pausing in Woodcrest for one weekend. With her parents fighting constantly and the pressing gloomy mood that being back home always gave her she'd been happy to get back to Florida for her final year of undergraduate studies._

_Only this fall break, her mother had practically begged her to come home for a week. Cindy also howled about missing her and kept bringing up the fact that Riley was joining the military, so she'd have to make sure she saw him before he was deployed. Her father had been the worst of them, however; he'd blown up her phone and email so much that her good friend Cairo had thought it was some stalker until she'd corrected him, in which case he'd laughed until he started choking from lack of air._

_So, she was back in Woodcrest. Only, as much as her parents would hate it, it wouldn't be for as long as they'd wanted._

_It was cloudy that day, with scant amounts of sunlight breaking through the gray at various times. The wind was crisp but gentle, blowing the tall grasses around her so that they appeared to be reaching for the sky. Jazmine sighed in contentment, lying down in the grass and closing her eyes. It was rare that she was at such peace of mind, especially where she'd spent the majority of her childhood. In fact, it was rare she got a second of peace period, considering her time was usually dominated by school, work, saving people's lives, seeing dead people, and occasionally sleeping._

_It was a wonder she wasn't dead yet._

_Jazmine kicked off her shoes, yawning and stretching, resting the back of her head in her hands and staring up at the sky. It wasn't so bad being back. After all, she'd had some pretty good times growing up. She'd finally gotten her license, she'd gone to prom, she'd graduated high school…those had been pretty good moments._

_Then again…she'd also crashed her car within a month of getting it and gave herself a concussion. She'd gone to prom, but had gotten stranded in D.C. with Cindy, Caesar and Hiro after their limo driver had stolen all their belongings and drove off. And her high school graduation was okay, except she'd decided against going to Cindy's aunt's beach house in Maine with Cindy, Caesar and Hiro for the following week after Cindy had invited Maya and Huey to come along. Instead she'd sat around with her parents when they weren't at work, listening to them whine about how much they'd miss her as well as listening to them fight when they thought she wasn't around. As if she was stupid._

_It was obvious they weren't going to last much longer, and she didn't need to be a psychic to figure that out, although it had helped her when she'd been naïve enough to think they could work out their issues. It was the only thing about her powers that she'd always had trouble accepting; they continuously took away her hope and optimism. Humans were able to dream and fantasize about where they wanted to be and where they wanted life to take them. She saw in advance how her decisions would affect her future, and if her mind changed, her premonitions changed. It was convenient, but…what was the point? _

_She'd never been normal though, so she'd gotten over complaining about her lack of a normal life a long time ago. Besides, her visions didn't catch everything. There were rare times when she got blindsided by something she didn't see coming, and it was those moments that were usually either really good, or really terrible. She opened her eyes, and blinked in surprise when she saw a pair of auburn ones staring down at her. _

_She blinked again. Then, he was shaking his head._

_"I was trying to decide if you were dead or not." Jazmine pushed herself to her elbows as Huey plopped down beside her, a stray ray of sunlight casting him in an almost angelic light. It was amusing to put Huey Freeman and an angel in the same category, but suited him nonetheless. "I guess you're not."_

_"Nope." It was much easier to tell herself that she was doing the right thing in distancing herself from him with the simple fact that he was still alive. If he and the other people she cared about took having minimal to do with them to keep them safe, then that was something she could live with. It was surprisingly simple, actually. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I don't care what you've deluded yourself into believing." Huey leaned against the trunk of the tree, giving her a look. "This is still, and forever will be, my tree."_

_Jazmine couldn't help but smile. "I thought we decided it was my tree?"_

_"Negative." Huey shook his head, staring straight ahead with the outlines of a smirk on his own features. "I'd never agree to a notion so stupid."_

_"You did." Jazmine lightly tossed a pine cone at his foot. "You just have selective memory."_

_"And you're just a pathological liar."_

_"Rude." Jazmine sat up fully, resting her elbows on her knees. "Well, how have you been?"_

_"Alright." A dark look passed over Huey's features. "Give or take a few things." Jazmine waited for him to elaborate, but when he continued to stare into the distance she made a face._

_"A few things…like what?"_

_"You've always been so nosy." Huey turned his head to give her a look. She shrugged._

_"And you've always been secretive."_

_"We all have our secrets." Huey pointed at her. "You're not the open book you pretend to be."_

_"And you're changing the subject." When Huey rolled his eyes and looked away she picked at a dandelion, finally pulling the stem out of the earth and twirling it between her fingers. "Come on, Freeman. You can't bring up something and then not go into detail."_

_"Sure I can."_

_"Huey!" _

_"Fine." He rolled his eyes again, staring up into the tree's leaves. "Maya and I are getting a divorce."_

_Jazmine's eyebrows lifted. He went on as if she wasn't even there._

_"She's moving to Japan. She wanted me to go with her."_

_The air fell silent for a minute, and then Jazmine cleared her throat._

_"So like…why didn't you?"_

_"What the hell was I going to do in Japan?"_

_"I don't know." Jazmine began to tear the dandelion apart, concentrating on it. "Asian…stuff?" When her comment was met by Huey's blank stare she shrugged. "You're the smartest person I know, so I'm pretty sure you would've figured something out."_

_"Why should I have to have gone?" Huey gave Jazmine a challenging look. She rolled her eyes, looking up at him._

_"I wasn't saying that. I was asking why you didn't."_

_Huey shrugged again, sighing heavily. "I don't know…I didn't want to. I didn't want to go and she didn't want to stay. There was nothing either one of us could've done."_

_"You could've made it work," Jazmine offered casually. When her words were met with an icy glare in response she made another face. "What?"_

_"How could we have done that?" Huey sounded annoyed, which wasn't a hard point for him to reach. "Go ahead and inform me of suitable efforts we could have taken, since you seem to be such an expert."_

_Jazmine shook her head. "You don't have to be so mad at me, Huey." She looked down at the remaining pieces of the dandelion. "I was just trying to help."_

_"I didn't ask for your help."_

_"And I didn't ask to talk to you, but you started it. Don't get mad at me, because I'm not the one who divorced you." Her words came out hard, making both of them blink in surprise. She backtracked, sighing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. And I'm sorry you and Maya didn't work out." When he didn't say anything she went on. "All I was going to say was that when you really love someone, you should try to fight for it at least before giving up. If you wanted to stay and she wanted to move then you two could've tried to make your marriage long distance. You know, call each other every day or when you can, try to see each other…and just accept that you couldn't always be next to each other, but know you loved each other regardless. But it's none of my business," she quickly added, opening her hands and letting the flower pieces float away in the wind. "It has to suck though. You two were together for so long."_

_"Yeah." Huey seemed to be contemplating her words in his head. "We were." As Jazmine picked at another weed he gestured to her. "Well, how long are you here for?"_

_"I was supposed to stay until Sunday but I'm going to North Carolina tomorrow for a funeral." She looked up, shrugging. "I have a feeling I won't be missing much around here anyway."_

_"Who died?" Huey looked interested. She shook her head._

_"No one you'd know. I barely even knew them."_

_"So why are you going?"_

_"Oh." Jazmine tried to think of a reasonable way to explain the circumstances. "Well…I didn't know her specifically but we were connected in this weird, hard to explain way. I don't know." She tossed the flower aside again. "I just have to go."_

_"Okay." Huey glanced towards her. "Well, what was her name?"_

_Jazmine lay back in the grass again, staring up at the clouds._

_"Helena. Helena Conyers."_

_"Oh. Damn." __Huey rested back in the grass as well, brushing a leaf that had fallen onto his jacket away. "Sorry about that."_

_Jazmine closed her eyes. It was probably the only weakness she had as far as people went: not being able to save them all. "Me, too."_

_They fell into a comfortable silence. She couldn't help but wonder the same thing she often did when she was lying awake at night, unable to sleep, or when she was in class and just couldn't get him off her mind. Where would they be if time never would have reversed itself those years ago? What if she had been able to save him from dying without the interference of magic? Would they still be together? Would they be happy? Or would they be in the same boat that he and Maya were in? After all, if he couldn't last with someone who was so similar to himself, how well would they have gotten along in the long run?_

_It was better this way. She pressed her lips together to try and keep her emotions from going overboard. It was much better this way, for the both of them. After all, very few witches that she knew of had done what she did and lived into their later years. It was one thing to be a witch, but it was another to use your powers to save others and stop those who meant harm. That wasn't something that everyone was pleased about. _

_Still, what if they had worked? What if-_

_"So have you decided on where you're going to graduate school?" Jazmine opened her eyes again as she heard Huey speak. She nodded._

_"Yeah. Hopefully Columbia. Or UPenn."_

_To her surprise, Huey laughed. "You're really not trying to come anywhere back here, are you?"_

_"Is it that obvious?" Jazmine sat up again. He nodded, still laughing._

_"It is." He looked at her. "You're barely ever here, and when you are you look like you're just yearning to leave again." He snorted. "I can't blame you. I feel the same way."_

_"Then why'd you come back?" she asked. His face grew thoughtful._

_"Well, Maya is…was here. Sadly, Riley's here. And grandad's here. He raised me and he's getting pretty old, so I don't want to be away from him too long just in case…well, you know."_

_Jazmine nodded. "I do."_

_Huey looked around, shaking his head. "I tried so hard to get away from here and in the end I ended up back here. Everyone did." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "It's amusing in a way."_

_Jazmine frowned. She didn't think it was that funny. She hoped she'd never have to permanently come back. Not when she was finally living her own life, away from the people who she'd cared about more than they'd ever care about her._

_Instead of telling him that, she nodded and continued to stare into the sky, with him following suit._

* * *

_May 19, 2016  
__Washington, DC_

_"I see you got the book. That will give you more answers than I ever could."_

What_ever_. That old lady from Miami had been a liar, because Huey had read the entire diary cover to cover and still wasn't _any _closer to figuring out where Jazmine was.

"_Shit_." Annoyed, Huey tossed the book across his room; the old diary hit the wall and fell to the floor; a few loose pages spilled out and fluttered to the floor. He groaned in frustration and shook his head. "This is so stupid."

He had to find her. If he didn't he'd end up feeling guilty about it for the rest of his life…however long that would be, considering that no one still knew what was going on with him.

Life sure was funny sometimes. By that, he meant goddamn ridiculous.

Before he could get up and retrieve the book his bedroom door was flying open, and _Denise _of all people was striding in, out of breath. His mouth nearly fell to the floor.

"Denise!" He threw up his arms. "How the hell did you even get _in _here?" Before she could open her mouth he was shaking his head, waving his arms at her. "You must have lost your mind! Get out!"

"You watch it, buster." She shot him a warning look, closing the door behind her before whirling around again. She was clutching her oversized briefcase, her hair falling in her eyes. Her face held an accomplished expression.

"Denise." Huey gave her a look as she took it upon herself to strut to the edge of his bed and flop down, setting the briefcase on the floor beside her. "Seriously. What are you doing here? Wait." He remembered her long trail of dead ex husbands and swore, reaching for the top drawer of his nightstand. "I hope you're not here to kill me for rejecting your advances, because I have a gun. And I should warn you, I never miss."

"Don't be stupid, Freeman." Denise rolled her eyes; he slowly drew his hand away from the drawer, although unwillingly. "I think I have a theory as to what's causing your illness, so keep sitting. Because you'll only shit yourself when you hear what I have to say."

Huey's voice was flat. "You're kidding, right?" When Denise merely stared at him in response he shook his head. "No. No way. My own doctors aren't sure what I have-"

"_Well_." Denise tossed her head back dramatically, holding her nose in the air. "I am, and I'm willing to help you so you don't drop dead. Right now that's the best thing you've got." She lifted her eyebrows towards him. "So do you want my help or not?"

Before Huey could even reply, Caesar was bursting in his room, his earphones in. "So tell me why-" He stopped when he saw both Denise and Huey staring at him with varying degrees of confusion. "Oh. My bad." He took a step back. "I didn't know you were…entertaining."

Huey slapped his palm against his forehead while Denise snorted, shaking her head.

"No worries," she said, gesturing towards the briefcase. "You're just in time for the show."

"Show? What show?" Caesar stepped into the room, gesturing towards the suitcase. His expression turned into one of excitement. "What you got in there?"

"Not weed, idiot, so don't get happy." When Caesar's face turned crestfallen Huey rolled his eyes. Denise blinked at the both of them before clearing her throat.

"Kay…so _this_," Denise said with a grin, sitting up and patting the briefcase affectionately, "Is what's going to save Huey Freeman's life."

"Word?" Caesar ran across the room, reaching to give Huey a fist pump. "That's what's up! That's even better!"

"Yeahhhh." Huey gave Denise, as well as Caesar's fist, a wary look. "This is coming from the woman who killed all her ex husbands."

"_You can't prove any-_I mean, of course I'd never do such a thing." Denise looked shocked. "Why would you even _say _such horrid words?"

Caesar blinked. "Wait, _what_?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about your friend's lies." Denise shrugged, reaching down and opening the suitcase. "Alright, so check it." Huey craned his neck and Caesar glanced over Denise's shoulder as she pulled out a bottle. His eyes widened and he leaned closer to the suitcase.

"Damn! You got an entire pharmacy!"

"Ya think?" Denise snorted. "It's called narcotics specializing, boo."

""Boo"?" Huey echoed, nearly gagging.

""_Boo_"?" Caesar smirked, his eyes practically shining. Huey rolled his eyes again.

"Denise." He blinked at her. "Where the hell did you get all that?"

"That's for me to know and for you to shut your whore mouth about." Denise gave him a warning look of her own. "I pulled serious strings obtaining some of this, Freeman. No questions, no curiosity bullshit, no second guessing. Don't start none, won't be none."

"Um…" There were many, _many _things that Huey could pick fights about at that point, but he decided that this particular subject was better left alone. "Alright, Denise. Calm your nerves."

"They're calm." She rummaged more through the suitcase, examining various vials and needles. "I did some research using the symptoms you gave me and managed to obtain your medical records, which I took to a friend of mine who does research at-"

"_Really_, Denise?" Huey didn't know whether he should be flattered or afraid of her stalker tendencies. Denise pursed her lips.

"You want to keep your friend alive and I want to keep _you _alive so you can do that. So don't even start."

Huey shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Now." Denise pulled out a file, which she handed to Huey. "According to my friend, there's something funky going on with your adrenal glands."

"His adrenal what?" Caesar asked. Denise sighed.

"They're above your kidneys; I don't have time for questions, moving _on_." She turned back towards Huey, who was looking through the paperwork. "Now, you remember JFK, right?"

Huey looked up, blinking again. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well, not much really, but you two could have a similarity." She gestured to him. "What was John F. Kennedy famous for having?"

Huey shrugged, annoyed. He hated guessing games. "I don't know…_enemies_?"

"Besides that, asshole." Denise placed her hands together, her expression one of forced patience. When Huey merely stared at her with a blank expression in response she groaned. "Adrenal Deficiency, Freeman. He had Addison's Disease."

"Isn't that for old people?" Caesar asked.

"Isn't that for old people…_no_." Denise rolled her eyes while Caesar gave her a dirty look. "Anyone can get it of any age, race or gender. I don't know if that's exactly what Huey has, but either way his symptoms are doing a lot of the same things. He's most likely not producing enough cortisol. I really believe that he at least has hypocortisolism, otherwise he wouldn't have even _thought _about leaving the hospital."

"Yeahhh…he's pretty stubborn, so I'm sure he still would've. What?" Caesar asked when Huey shot him a glare. "You are!" He trained his focus back to Denise. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Until he takes his stubborn ass to a hospital," Denise replied calmly, withdrawing a syringe and completely missing the way that Huey's eyes widened, "he is going to be taking cortisol injections. I've also got some fludrocortisones that should help."

"Wait, I have to inject myself?" Huey was good at keeping his voice calm, but could tell that the panic was evident in his face when he saw both Denise and Caesar give him wide eyed looks.

"Wait…you mean to tell me that Freeman's _afraid _of something?" Denise asked; Huey groaned while she burst out laughing. "Sooo your weakness is a simple ass _needle_-"

"I am _not_-" Huey snapped loudly, "-afraid of needles!"

"Good." Denise was suddenly sliding the briefcase towards him, smirking. "Because you're gonna have to inject yourself twice a day. I got low dosages for you, because I don't want you OD-ing on anything."

Huey studied the briefcase quietly. Did he really want to go by what some nut job who probably read WebMD to self diagnose herself and everyone around her said? The same nut job that'd killed all her exes and god-only-knew how many others? He straightened.

Better yet…did he really have any other options at this point?

"Fine." Huey took hold of the briefcase, setting it against the pillow on the right side of his bed. "Um…thanks."

"No problem." Denise offered him a soft smile. "I just want you to be okay. I want both you _and _that girl to be okay."

"Don't worry." Caesar's voice was filled with a confidence Huey wasn't sure he possessed about the current situation. "You guys will find her."

"Well we'd better hurry up then, because we only have six days-" Denise started, but Huey was cutting her off before he could even think about it.

"Two."

Both Caesar and Denise stared at him.

"_What_?"

"Yeah…about that." Huey rubbed the back of his neck, offering Denise and Caesar a nervous shrug. "Um, I have this feeling, and I can't say _why_, but I'm pretty sure we need to find her before the twenty first."

Caesar blinked. Denise's eyes narrowed.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Trust me." Huey snorted. "Me simply telling you that it's a hypothesis would be more fitting than the actual reason."

Denise waved her hand. "At this point, I don't even care. Whatever you say." Her expression grew grave. "So…we only have forty eight hours." Huey nodded. For a moment she stared at him and then she was shaking her head, staring across his room.

"What's that on the floor in the corner?" Caesar glanced towards the open diary as well; Huey shrugged as Denise walked over and picked it up along with the stray pages. She began to flip through them.

"It's nothing." Huey was looking through the briefcase, making a mental note to look up every single thing she was giving him in case she was trying to poison him. "Just this old-" He stopped when he heard Denise gasp and gave her an annoyed look. "_What_?"

"It's a diary." She slowly looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. "The diary of Anya James. The woman you had me look up."

Huey nodded slowly, examining her as if she was dense. "It is. Why is that such a big deal?"

"Because you're hiding something." Denise's eyes narrowed and she lightly tossed the diary on the edge of the bed. Caesar, who had perched on the end of the bed, slid it over to himself and began to look through it. "You had me look up an Anya James and you wouldn't tell me why, just that you feel like it has something to do with this. And now you're reading her diary. How did you even get it? And what aren't you telling Owen or me?"

"It's-"

"_Don't _say it's nothing Freeman, because it's not nothing!" she snapped, causing Caesar to jump and Huey to blink in surprise. "We're trying to help you find this Dubois woman and if you're keeping information from us then you're hindering the entire thing. I don't care if you think whatever you're on to is stupid. Your best bet is to tell us and let us help you so that if you're right, we can find her quicker. And if you're wrong, we can move on to-"

"To _what_?" Huey shot back, causing Caesar to slowly edge towards the door, casting them both nervous looks. "So we can be back at square one, which is abso-fucking-lutely nothing? So she can _die _because I was too stupidto figure out what I needed to? We don't _have _anything else to go by Denise! So if I'm wrong with this, she's dead." He shook his head, taking a breath. "And I do _not _want to be wrong about this."

To his surprise, Denise smirked, slowly crossing the room and plopping down on the bed beside him. She looked at him, her eyes shining.

"You _love_ her."

"A, I wish everyone would quit saying that and B, you're ridiculous." Huey shook his head, reaching for the diary that Caesar had abandoned, and beginning to flip through it again. "I don't love her, I don't like her, I don't even _know_ her-"

"But you love her. It's not impossible." Denise sighed, gesturing to the book. "Huey. Seriously." Her voice held a rare seriousness that made him stare back at her. "Just tell me what you think you've figure out. I don't care how weird it sounds. For all you know, it could be exactly what we need."

Huey stared at her. She stared back. After a few moments of silence he sighed as well, lying the book open in the middle of the two of them.

"Anya James is Jazmine's great-grandmother." He flipped through a few pages, trying not to focus on Denise or what she'd probably think about the entire thing. "Her mother was the first member of Jazmine's maternal ancestry to live in the United States. She was from Ireland, and was a direct descendant of druids."

"Druids." Denise's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to-"

"Yeah." He looked up. "They were witches."

Denise's eyes widened. "So, this Jazmine girl is one too?"

"_No_. Yes. Well, maybe." When Denise's eyes hardened again he rolled his eyes. "Alright! Fine. Possibly. I'm not too good at explaining this right now because-"

"So if she's a witch," Denise went on, completely ignoring him as she contemplated, "how would this guy have figured that out? It wasn't someone she knew, was it?"

"Not that we know of-"

"-And in that case, what would've made him take all the other women he took?" Denise groaned. "All we have to do is figure out how-"

"Wait." Huey gave her a shocked look. "You _believe _me?"

"Of course." Denise snorted at his surprise. "You're a rational kind of guy, so I know you've tried to rule out everything else. And like you said, we have to play his game in order to win. If this is what he believes…we have to believe it, too."

Huey nodded. It was pretty astonishing how quickly she'd jumped on board. "Um…right."

"We have to assume that these women he killed were either witches and he got their powers, they weren't witches and he was unsuccessful, or they are witches but he's just doing whatever it takes to get their powers wrong." Denise was pacing. "But if the victims have no connection and he has no connection to them-"

"That's where I keep drawing blanks." Huey rested his chin in his hand. "I mean, I know this guy's trying to avenge his dead sister or something along those lines-"

"_What_?" Denise's head whipped up. "Where did you find that out from?"

"Um…" When her shocked look intensified Huey waved his hand. "It's such a long story-"

"_Freeman."_

"Alright!" Huey stared down at the floor, feeling completely awkward. "I've been having these…_dreams_. Of Jazmine. And I can kind of see her. I heard him mention it."

There was a sharp intake of breath on Denise's part, and then she shaking her head.

"Wow. _Wow._" She let out a low whistle. "How long has this been going on?"

Huey shrugged. "Since this entire thing started?"

"Well, when did she die? His sister?" Denise's expression was so intense that Huey sat up and leaned away from her, shrugging.

"I don't know. But if this entire thing is because of his anger over her death, I'm going to assume it was sometime before all this started, like-"

"Maybe in October?" Denise suggested; her voice was barely a whisper. Huey looked hesitant.

"Why October?"

"Because, Freeman." A smile was slowly spreading across her face. "Katie Saunders' mother told Owen when he questioned her back in November that Katie had been in North Carolina for a funeral when she disappeared."

Huey blinked at her. She stared back, holding her breath. He finally shook his head.

"That is such a stretch-" he started, but then she was cutting him off, hopping off his bed and beginning to pace.

"It might be…but it might not. Think about it." She threw up her hands. "Maybe the killer's from North Carolina-"

"And maybe we're wrong," Huey added, shaking his head. Denise looked crestfallen. "Because something would have had to lead him to the other women, and none of them were in North Carolina…at…the time…" His words trailed off as realization dawned on him. "Except for Jazmine."

Denise blinked. "Excuse me?"

"October 23." Huey snorted in disbelief. "Jazmine left Maryland early from fall break to go to North Carolina for a funeral." He slowly looked at Denise. "What if they went to the same funeral?"

Denise shook her head, letting out a low whistle.

"We are going off a lot of assumption," she admittedly quietly. He nodded.

"But it's all we've got."

She nodded, biting her lip and sitting on the edge of his bed. Finally, she snapped her fingers.

"I'm calling Owen." She reached into her bag, glancing up at him. "We've got to tell him everything." When Huey groaned she cut him off with a look. "We've got to figure this out. Today. I don't care if we stay up all night calling the other victim's houses or looking up obituaries from North Carolina or what. We've got to find out what he was thinking in doing things the way he did."

"Fine." Huey leaned back as she started for the door, before she whirled around and pointed at the suitcase.

"And take your shot!"

"Oh my…really?" When she merely walked off and gave him a warning look in response he groaned, hesitantly pulling the suitcase towards him. "This is _bullshit_."

* * *

"This is so goddamn weird…_ow_!"

"You said if we went along with Huey that you'd agree to try his idea." Denise sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest, rolling her eyes and letting them rest on the ceiling. "_Gawd_."

Owen rolled his eyes, rubbing his shoulder from where Denise had smacked him. "Do you have to be such a suck up, Denise?"

"Uh…yeah. Thanks." Huey shook his head, rolling his own eyes and staring back across the wooden, circular table to the old woman who sat there. "Anyway, I appreciate you working with us on such short notice. I'll try to explain this again."

"Oh, I'm all clear on what you need." The woman waved her hand; the gold bangles on her arm clanked together excitedly. "I mean, I usually communicate with the dead. Just…not with skeptics."

"Oh, my god. _Who _in their right mind even takes this stuff seriously?"

"Owen!"

Huey sighed. He really should have just gone by himself, but…well, Denise had seemed really ecstatic when Huey had explained that he wouldn't be coming into work because he was going to see a medium, and Owen was nothing if he weren't busy being a lovesick puppy.

Really, Huey was sure that Denise and Owen just didn't have a good day unless they were running his last nerve thin.

He'd gotten the idea to seek a medium out when he'd taken the time to think about how everyone else in the situation was going about it. Jazmine had powers, if the other victims were anything like her then they had powers, and the psycho who killed them all was embedded in the occult…it only made sense to try this when there was nothing else to try. He'd considered it before but hadn't gone about doing it.

Either he was on to something _finally_, or he was just to the point that he was too stupid to think of anything else.

"Alright." He reached into his backpack and withdrew a file, ignoring the others and choosing to focus on the older woman. "Here." He dropped the file on the table, pushing it across to her. "This is the photos and the names of the six victims so far who I want to get into contact with. If that's possible," he added quickly, spotting the horrified looks that fell over Denise and Owen's faces. "What? What the _hell _did you think brought me here, tea and biscuits?"

"You really think she can somehow bring those women here to tell us all about their powers and shit?" Owen shook his head. "God. You just think you can do _anything_, don't you?"

Huey shrugged. "Basically."

Owen snorted. "If your ego were any bigger it could be its own solar system."

"Everyone be quiet." They all fell silent as the woman pulled the file closer to herself, flipping it open to rummage through its contents. Her dark eyes scanned the pictures, taking it all in. Owen swallowed and placed his hands in his lap, staring at the door as if he wanted nothing more than to take off running. "Hmm. These women haven't been dead very long."

"Does that matter?" Huey asked. She shook her head.

"No, no…it's better. They may be easier to call. Or, it could be worse." She looked up. "They could be resentful. Angry. It may not be pretty."

Huey thought back to the encounter with Micah in the Dubois' attic. If anything, he'd be driven crazy by their inability to effectively communicate, not some attitude problems. "Alright."

"What's your name again?" Denise asked, now resting her elbows on the tabletop. The woman gave her a toothy grin.

"Genesis. Just call me Genesis."

"Uh…okay." Owen looked like he was struggling not to laugh. Huey rolled his eyes. Genesis trained an evil eye on all of them, causing them all to tense.

"This isn't for the faint of heart," she said darkly, evaluating them with critical eyes. "This isn't some magic trick for your amusement. We're messing with real spirits here, and once some are dead…they don't appreciate being called on by the living. If any of you feel like you can't handle it, then leave."

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then, when Denise and Huey's eyes slowly traveled to rest on Owen, he glared.

"What?" When neither of them said anything he threw up his hands. "Okay, okay! Anything to find Huey's little girlfriend, alright?"

"She is _not_," Huey said sternly for what felt like the one millionth time, "my girlfriend."

"Whatever." Owen turned towards Genesis, flashing her a grin. "Alright, Gen-Gen. Let's do this."

Genesis rolled her eyes. "Spirits, help me."

"Should I…I don't know, go get more candles or something?" Denise gestured towards the lone, white candle that stood tall in the middle of the table, over a velvet cloth. "I mean, I've seen movies, and they always have a good dozen of these."

"You leave the Hollywood business somewhere else, honey." Genesis rolled up her purple sleeves, smirking. "This is the real world. And in the real world-"

"This doesn't happen?"

"_Owen-_"

"Okay, I'm _sorry_."

"We're fine." Genesis placed her palms flat on the table in front of her and shifted in her spot. "We don't need fancy candles or instruments to bring the dead to us. We simply need their cooperation." She glanced around. "Everyone ready?"

Huey nodded. Denise grimaced. Owen coughed.

"Fantastic!" Genesis beamed before taking another look at one of the photos. "Let's focus on our first victim, Katherine Saunders." She gently moved the photo aside, the image of a grinning blonde with blue eyes facing up. Owen glanced at it before forcing his eyes elsewhere. Genesis turned over her hands so that her palms were facing upward and she looked at the others expectantly.

"Now, if you could all take each other's hands…"

Huey took her right hand, holding out his free hand for Denise's. On her other side, Owen grinned.

"Alright." He took Denise's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Maybe this _isn't _so bad."

Denise made a gagging sound. Genesis shook her head and closed her eyes. The others exchanged nervous looks before following suit.

"Now, let's meditate for a few moments." Her voice had gone from energetic to cool, almost soothing. "Take this time to clear your minds. Any negative thoughts, hesitations or doubts should be cast away. Empty your minds, empty your hearts, and just be aware of _being_."

Already the temperature of the room seemed to drop, the hairs on the back of Huey's neck beginning to rise. The silence seemed to last forever until Genesis let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh.

"She will come," she whispered quietly. "All we do is wait."

"That's it?" Denise, although she wasn't shouting, seemed as if she were screaming in the calm atmosphere. "No chanting? No calls or-"

"We all are aware of how she looks, and she will be able to sense our desire to communicate with us." Genesis offered them a smile. "The departed can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to show up. Be patient."

"We don't _have _a few hours," Owen grumbled. Underneath the table Huey heard a thump, followed by the redhead grunting. He heard Denise cackle; she'd obviously kicked him. "Jesus."

"Just stay calm and focus on nothing but this." Genesis closed her eyes again. "She will come."

Huey glanced around as the older woman began to hum an unfamiliar tune, her palm cool and dry in his own. Denise's eyes were closed again as well, but on her other side Owen was staring down at the table with an unreadable expression on his face. Huey closed his own eyes again, attempting to clear his mind.

But really, how could he? What would he do if he didn't get any answers from this? He couldn't find any other connections or any other motives…this was it. He hadn't even seen Freda or had any other dreams in the past couple of days. What if even the damn spirit world or whatever had given up on him?

He just wanted this to work. It was their last chance to figure out anything that could lead them to her, and he needed for it to work. It was all they had.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the gentlest scuffle of movement, followed by a gentle, almost welcoming breeze. His ears perked up as he heard Genesis speak.

"Thank you for joining us, Katherine."

He opened his eyes and looked over at Denise and Owen, who did the same. Then, he looked towards the other side, where a figure now sat in the empty chair between Owen and Genesis. Her icy blue eyes were staring around, taking in their new surroundings. Finally, the figure looked beside her to Genesis and blinked.

"Hello."

Although her voice wasn't too friendly, there didn't seem to be any hostility. If anything the woman looked disoriented. Genesis sighed, bowing her head in what seemed to be a sign of respect.

"I appreciate your presence, Katherine." She paused. "Is it alright if I call you that?"

The woman paused. She glanced towards Huey, who stared back non-blinking. Then, she turned away.

"I preferred…I _prefer _Katie."

"Katie, then." Genesis took a deep breath. "Do you mind if we have a conversation?"

Katie frowned.

"It doesn't have to be long."

Katie looked hesitant. Huey took a calming breath of his own.

"I don't know if I'm really supposed to be talking right now-" Everyone, including the ghost, stared at him. "-And you're probably busy with…well…" Deciding to leave the topic alone completely he changed subjects. "I need your help. _We _need your help."

Genesis shook her head. Huey wondered why until a few seconds later, when Katie's face fell into a scowl.

"My help. _My _help." She snorted. "Who was there to help me when I needed it? Why the hell should I help _you_? No one bothered to help me when I was alive and in case you didn't notice, I kinda could've _used _it."

"Who is Freeman _talking _to?" Owen asked, making a face. When Denise shrugged Huey blinked at them.

"You have got to be kidding me." He gestured across the table. "She's _right. There. _Katie's right there! You have to see her."

"Uh…not really, no…" Owen scratched his head. Denise shrugged again, looking much less freaked out than Huey had expected.

"Nope. And I'm perfectly down with that." She shrugged. "Tell her I said hi?"

"It's alright, young one." Genesis let go of his hand long enough to give it a reassuring pat. "She is here. You aren't crazy."

As if that helped.

Huey shook his head as Genesis turned towards Katie.

"We know that this must be hard for you-"

"Oh, do you now?" Katie looked completely annoyed at that point. "Do you know what it's like to be _dead_? To just be living your life and have it snatched away from you?"

"No," Huey snapped impatiently, once again catching everyone's eye. "But the person who we _are _trying to save has a good idea, I'm sure." Katie blinked. "We're trying to keep someone from going through the same thing as you. So if you could _help _us," he managed through grit teeth as he tried to adjust his tone, "we would greatly appreciate it."

A translucent strand of blonde hair fell into Katie's eye. She glanced around the circle, frowning.

"There's another one?"

"Don't you guys get the news up there?" Huey asked. "There's _been _others. Five others, in fact. And in a couple days it'll be six."

Genesis cleared her throat and Katie looked back to her. "He doesn't mean to be so brash," she said in an apologetic tone. "However, you are one of the only ones who can save a life. We know that this is painful for you, and I do apologize for bringing you back to the world of the living when it must be so hard to adjust to death."

"I don't get it." Owen looked as if he were trying to keep from pouting. "Why is Afro Jones the only one who can see dead people?"

"Owen, hush." Denise sighed, even though she was staring all around them nervously. "I've never really aspired to see things that aren't supposed to _be_ there, so this is fine with me."

Katie closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then let them open again. They were sparkling, as if she were near tears.

"It just gets so difficult." She shook her head. "I walk through walls. I walk through _people_. No matter how loud I am, no one knows that I'm there. It's as if I don't exist. It's like the world's forgotten about me. All I want to do is pass on, and even though guiding souls is all I ever did, I just can't go."

"Why not?" Huey asked. Genesis shot him a warning look but Katie seemed unaffected by his curiosity.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I feel like something is holding me here. Holding me back…maybe I'm just afraid. I don't know what comes after this. I've had years to find out, but you really don't know until you finally pass on. And once you do, it's not like you can come back. You're gone. You're just...gone."

The lone candle in the middle of the otherwise dark room reflected off Katie's face. Owen and Denise still looked confused. Huey glanced away from them.

"When did you find out you had powers? If you don't mind me asking," he added upon seeing Genesis' expression. Katie wiped at the corner of her eyes with her pinky finger.

"I guess I was eight? Nine, maybe?" She sighed. "One of those. I was playing with my Easy Bake oven and got mad when my food didn't come out right. One minute I was glaring at it, and the next it was on fire."

"Oh." Huey made a face. "That's…unfortunate."

"Really, though." Katie snorted. "I started being awakened in the middle of the night by these random…_see through _people. My mom thought I was losing it. It was only after my cousin died and I was able to accurately tell my mother where his safe was, where his will that half my family was fighting over needed, something he hadn't told his own _parents_, that she believed me. But even she had doubts sometimes. No one in my family was like me." She paused. "And then, on my eighteenth birthday, I was made a guardian and it just all went to shit from there…"

_Guardian_. Why did that sound so familiar? "What's that?"

"Only the most annoying thing ever." Katie snorted, her voice holding a dark tone to it. "You escort lost souls to the afterlife. And sometimes, if they want to act crazy, you drag the resistant ones to the astral plane. It's really tedious. Well, it _was_. There's a lot of crazy spirits out there, believe it or not. It's exhausting."

Huey believed it. And if they were anything as annoying as the living, then it _had _to suck. "How many are there?"

Katie paused, mentally calculating. "There's a lot of them. Hundreds. But, most of them have passive powers, so the majority of the responsibility fell on the ones with active powers. There were seven of us. Well, there _were_." Her eyes cast downward. "Now there's six."

A light bulb was flashing in his head, but he didn't want to get too excited. "Did you know the others? The main ones?"

Katie's forehead scrunched in concentration. "I met three of them occasionally in passing. Never physically. It was usually in crossing on the plane or something, and it was really rare. You usually don't have more than one guardian on the astral plane at once. Well all met in person only once." Her expression turned grim. "It was the day I was taken."

"What's she saying?" Owen asked curiously. Genesis leveled him with a look before shaking her head and joining in the conversation.

"How is it determined when one becomes a guardian?" she asked. Katie shrugged, waving her hand.

"God, I don't know. I don't know how anything works, really." She paused. "Skill. Experience. Strength. Recklessness?" When Huey and Genesis gave each other looks she made a face. "Maybe I was the only reckless one, since I'm the only one who's dead."

"Yeah…no." Huey shook his head. Katie was a guardian, Jazmine was one… "I'd hate to tell you this, but I'm almost positive that the other main ones are dead. Except for one." Katie's already pale face seemed to drain of color. "And she's not too far behind you at this point."

Katie's eyes searched his face, looking for some sort of confirmation that he wasn't serious. When she determined that it wasn't a joke her eyes fell to her lap.

"That's horrible." She looked up a few moments later, fury etched into her face. "That's fucking _awful_."

"Why weren't you in Connecticut when you were taken, Katie?" Huey asked. "Isn't that where you lived?"

Katie seemed to hesitate before she answered.

"I was...at a funeral. A witch me and the others had failed to save was dead. We all felt bad so we all went." She shrugged. "Simple as that."

Huey blinked. "You all went." He briefly glanced towards Denise. "They all went to the funeral in October."

"We were right." Denise frowned. "Wait. How come their families didn't know about it?"

"Maybe they did." Huey shrugged. "But it didn't look like something worth mentioning. How were they supposed to know it had anything to do with this?"

"True." Denise shrugged. Huey turned back to Katie.

"What do you think made him take you while you were in North Carolina and not the others?"

"My god, I don't _know_." Katie rolled her eyes. "What made that crazy ass take me in the first place? I still haven't figured out how he knew that I even had _powers_-" She paused, suddenly bolting upright and staring past Huey's head. Genesis followed her eyes as Huey turned around in his seat towards the darkest corner of the room, where he could now see another figure hovering. For a moment, Katie looked startled.

Then, she was smirking.

"Nice to see you again, Raven." Her voice was filled with sarcasm. "So glad you could join us on this fine evening."

"Girl, whateva." The woman stepped forward, shaking her head. She was a black girl with a short haircut, a sharp nose, and a sharp scowl that seemed to be aimed at every single person there. "You know damn well that I ain't come here for you."

"Who…_are _you?" Genesis asked. Meanwhile, on Denise's right, Owen let out a groan of frustration.

"What the fuck is going _on_?" he groaned impatiently. Raven merely blinked at him.

"What is this nigga whining about?"

"Oh, don't worry." Katie waved her hand. "Just a bunch of mortals who can't see or hear us."

"Great. More of _those_." Raven snorted. "I swear I got enough of mortals when I was alive. I don't need to deal with them _dead_."

Genesis sat still, as if she hadn't been in their current situation before. Huey sighed. They were the ones who could do everything from start fires to move things with their minds, yet the normal ones were the crazies.

"Thank you for joining us," Genesis said in her medium voice, regaining her composure. Raven stared at her. "And what brings you to our circle this evening?"

"Wait, there's _another one_?" Denise whispered, her eyes wide. Meanwhile, Raven snorted.

"I happened to overhear on the good ol plane up there." She pointed upwards. "Dear Katie was doing it wrong, so I came to explain things a little better. Since at least I caught on near the end."

Huey sat up straighter. This could be promising.

"I was explaining just _fine, _thank you-" Katie started, but Raven merely burst out laughing.

"Excuse me, but you barely even know that the rest of us were dead. I highly doubt it." Raven walked around the table to stand beside Katie. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Raven Waters, better known to you as victim number six."

Huey and Genesis fell silent; the older woman's mouth nearly fell open. Raven rolled her eyes, sucking her teeth.

"I ain't got all day," she snapped, causing both Huey and Genesis to blink. "Either you got questions or you don't."

"Okay, then." Genesis gestured to Huey. "Seems you have their cooperation."

"Perfect." Huey stared at Raven. "Katie said that all seven of you met once. When was this?"

Raven frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"A lot, actually. You'd be surprised." Huey sat back, shrugging. "Could you just tell me?"

She rolled her eyes. "We met near the end of October of last year." She frowned. "There was a witch named Helena who was killed by this coven that was after her boyfriend. He was a pretty evil guy, actually, but I guess they loved each other so whatever. Anyway, she died, and the seven of us had been trying to stop this coven for awhile. We had different powers you see, so-"

"What were they?" Huey blurted before thinking. Beside him, Genesis shot him a dirty look. Even Katie and Raven looked annoyed.

"Right." Raven rolled her eyes again. "Rude. Anyway, Katie here was a fire starter. You know, she'd just look at things and they'd catch on fire." When Huey nodded without interrupting she went on with less reluctance. "The second guardian was this woman named Angela. She was able to project. It wasn't like the rest of us though, where we could only project onto the astral plane or whatever. Bitch could go anywhere just by imagining it in her mind. Barbados, India, Sweden, whatever."

"They get it, idiot," Katie rolled her eyes. "They're mortals, not retards."

"Synonyms, in my opinion," Raven muttered, but then she continued. "The third woman, I forgot her name. But she could mimic the powers of other people-"

"What does that mean?" Huey asked.

"Oh god, _maybe _I could tell a nigga if you weren't cutting me off every five damn-"

"Raven, he doesn't mean it. God." Katie sighed. "He's just trying to help. He can't help it that he doesn't understand most of this. You were always the impatient one-"

"What_ever_." Raven closed her eyes, sighing heavily. She opened them again. "Mimicry is when a witch doesn't possess the power that another witch has…okay, say there's a witch who has premonitions, but she can't freeze time." Huey nodded, so she went on. "If another witch was to use that ability in her presence she could basically use that same ability the other witch had for a temporary amount of time." She gave Huey an exasperated look. "_Okay_? Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Huey rolled his eyes. "Sorry for interrupting."

"Sure." Raven shrugged. "So anyway, there's her. And then there was Micah. She was the fourth one, right Kate?"

"Yeah." Katie nodded earnestly. "She could do that thing, with the water. Like that chick off Avatar."

"_No_, not like that chick off _Avatar_." Raven rolled her eyes. "God, what a shitty cartoon-"

"Umm-" Genesis started before being cut off by a wave of Raven's hand.

"Sorry, I get sidetracked a lot. Okay." Raven paused, as if collecting her thoughts, before proceeding. "So then there was Alicia. She was probably the guardian I saw the most. She could manipulate time. Freeze it, speed it up, accelerate it enough to blow shit up, reconstruct things that had broken, break down particles…that girl was crazy."

"Very," Katie agreed in a serious tone. "Definitely the least disciplined and most unstable of the seven of us."

"How do you know that?" Huey asked. Both their heads swiveled towards him. "I mean, if you've barely ever met the others-"

"I'm _getting _to that," Raven said, shaking her head. Katie smirked, staring at Owen, who still had a stricken look on his face. "Okay, so there was Alicia, then there was me, and there was the seventh one."

"If you don't mind me asking," Genesis said softly, her expression pensive, "What was your power?"

"Right." Raven smiled. "I was an empath."

Genesis looked impressed. Huey waited a few moments to see if anyone would speak, but when the room remained silent he spoke up.

"Which is…?"

"She can read the emotions of others." Katie didn't even look up from Owen. "Seriously, is he okay? He looks really pale."

"He's fine." Huey waved his hand towards him. "And no offense, but that doesn't sound like a very useful power."

"_Wrong_, mortal." Raven snapped her fingers at him, sticking out her tongue when his eyes narrowed. "It's a very useful power. One of the most useful ones you'll come across."

"When you come across another witch you can basically turn their own emotions against them," Katie explained, shaking her head at Raven. "You can even use their own powers against them. If you're strong enough, being an empath can make you almost unstoppable…at least if your own feelings are in check."

"It's really difficult," Raven added, "to be able to take on the feelings of others along with your own. It can destroy you. Many witches have gone crazy trying to harness it."

"Oh." Huey nodded. "And the seventh one. What about her?"

"Okay, right. Yeah." Raven straightened. "The seventh one…Jazmine. Right. She's the telekinetic."

"Fucking _badass_." Katie mumbled appreciatively, smirking. "The way she manipulated her powers...no words."

"She was the smart one," Raven agreed. Huey looked around. Denise was sitting in her chair, gently patting Owen's shoulder. He looked ready to have a panic attack. Ignoring them he turned back to the other two.

"When did all of you meet?"

The two girls fell silent. Genesis stared at them both, clasping her hands in her lap. Finally, Raven lifted her head.

"So, this funeral." Her shoulders slumped. "I'd felt guilty about not being able to save Helena, so I flew just to go. Turns out the other six felt the same way, did the same thing." She shook her head. "Huge mistake on our parts."

"It was," Katie agreed. "We'd all had the mindset where if we sat in the back and just flew under the radar that we wouldn't attract attention to ourselves. So, we did. And we got through the funeral and the burial, and then the repast came-"

"She _told _us." Raven was glaring at Katie. "I knew we shouldn't have fucking gone."

"_Anyway_," Katie interrupted, holding her hand up towards Raven, "everyone was invited to Helena's brother's house for it. So we went, to pay our respects, and her brother…oh god, it was so bad."

"He had these crystals," Raven said, taking over. "They're like these old, black ones that can sense magic. He had them in these random ass spots all over the house, turns out."

"They glow when someone with powers gets close enough to them," Katie added. "So I guess with all seven of us in one location they started freaking out. Especially with Alicia, Raven and Jazmine around."

"Why do you say that?" Huey asked.

"Because they're the most powerful," Katie answered in a somewhat glum tone. Raven gave her a sympathetic look.

"You weren't _that _weak."

"Please." Katie gave her a blank stare. "Compared to you three, the rest of us were weak sauce. And compared to Jazmine we were _all _useless. If it weren't for her and Alicia we never would've gotten out of there in the first place when he confronted us-"

"Please." Raven grunted. "I could've taken her easy." When Katie's eyebrows drew up to her hairline she exhaled. "Okay, maybe not, but that's not the point."

"When did that happen?" Huey asked. Katie waved her hand.

"It was during the repast when the seven of us tried to leave out the back." She shook her head. "It's not a story I really want to tell right now."

"Me neither," Raven seconded. Huey shrugged.

"But yeah," Katie continued. "So, these crystals started spazzing, and everyone who was in the room was all confused. Luckily the dumbasses thought they were some kind of lights." She shuddered. "One of the creepiest experiences ever."

"I have no idea how he found us all," Raven mumbled, shaking her head. "I still can't figure it out. We thought we had nothing to worry about, that he'd never see us again-"

"And now we're dead," Katie finished in a flat tone.

"Are they still here?" Owen asked in a surprisingly timid voice. Huey's head snapped towards him.

"Yes. Now, shut up." He glanced back at the ghosts. "How did he know where to find you? Did you sign a guestbook or something?"

"Yes," Katie admitted, looking ashamed. "But we didn't write our addresses. Just our names."

"Weird." Huey frowned. Raven nodded.

"Very."

"I just feel so stupid." Katie let her hands fall onto her knees. "I'm _such _an idiot."

"It was a mistake." Raven took her hand sympathetically. "It's not like we would've gone if we knew thiswould happen. None of us saw it coming, and we could see the damn future."

"And now everyone's friggin fucked." Katie swallowed. "If we're all dead, then we can't stop that damn coven from destroying everything. Everyone's in danger."

"By everyone, you mean…" Huey let his words trail off when both women shot him a look. "Sorry."

"Don't be. He needs to know. Someone needs to know." Raven sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Okay. Helena was in love with one of the warlocks from this coven. There's seven of them, just like there's seven of us. They're kind of like our opposites. They're evil trying to find a way to dominate the world with it, and we're good trying to protect people. Or at least were."

"Since the other guardians don't have active powers, they deal with smaller problems." Katie frowned. "They were our problem."

Huey frowned as well.

"Why isn't there someone who could step in and take your places? That seems like poor planning."

"Well, that's the thing." Raven took a deep breath. "There _are _guardians who are born and take the place of the originals once they die, but the seven only come into their full powers when the originals _all_ die. Not only that, but the originals are supposed to train them. Teach them the craft and all that shit. Most witches, the few that will even admit to being witches, still think that guardians are some legend."

"Also," Katie added hesitantly, "The originals are supposed to pass their powers to another original to inherit if one dies. You know, before we pass on. When I died, I passed my power to Angela, because she was my successor. I'm assuming when Angela died, she did the same for Robyn. And the cycle continued." Katie trained her gaze on Raven. "You passed all our powers to Jazmine, right?"

Raven bit her lip. Genesis and Huey both turned to stare at her. After a few moments she made a hissing sound.

"Um...no." Katie's jaw dropped. "Shit, I forgot! I was too busy being _dead, _okay?"

"Are you serious?" Katie's eyes narrowed. "Does this have anything to do with her not wanting-"

"No. I honestly forgot." Raven shrugged. When Katie's glare intensified she groaned. "_Fine_. Fine, okay? I didn't. I didn't want to burden her with so much at once. Especially since she already didn't want it."

"What didn't she want?" Huey asked. Raven and Katie looked at each other before sighing.

"Since Jazmine's the seventh guardian, in the event we were all to die before her, she was to inherit all our powers." Katie shifted in her seat. "We happened to get on the subject at the funeral, the seven of us. She…wasn't happy about the idea."

"It's not her fault, forreal." Raven shrugged. "She wasn't like us. We lucked out where we all had someone to mentor us. Even you, Katie." Katie blinked. "You came from a family of mortals and still found that seer you told me about. Jazmine came from a line of some of the most powerful witches in history and still had to figure out everything on her own. She didn't even know it could come to that until we brought it up."

"Well, yeah." Katie lifted her eyebrows. "But I don't think it's even her not knowing. I just think it could've been because she didn't want to be an empath."

"Why not?" Huey asked.

"I really wish you'd stop, playa," Raven mumbled. When Katie glared at her she groaned. "Okay, then. Whatever." She turned back to Huey. "All of us had our strengths, as well as our weaknesses. Katie here, she was the most disciplined, but she was kinda…umm…"

"Just say it." Katie rolled her eyes. "I was the weakest."

"You said it, not me. But yeah." Raven grinned as Katie scowled. "She was the weakest. I was-"

"The mouthiest," Katie mumbled.

"Shut up," Raven replied. She stuck out her tongue before a pensive expression fell over her face. "Jazmine was definitely the strongest and had discipline, but her emotions definitely influenced the intensity of her powers. I can tell how she was because she and I were a lot alike." Raven shrugged. "I didn't want to be bogged down by other people's emotions, so I detached myself from people. She tried to do the same thing, but I could feel how she felt. She was overwhelmed and tired and angry...and for her, that's a dangerous way to be."

"She hasn't reached the Age of Conscience yet," Katie explained when she saw Huey open his mouth to ask a question. "It comes every witch or warlock's twenty second year. It's due to some ancient curse or some shit like that-"

"Right," Raven interrupted. "We don't know how it came into existence. But basically, a witch's twenty second year is her most vulnerable time. If she's on enough bad guys' radars during it, a lot of them will try to find ways to sway her into going…evil. Bad. To the dark side. The point is she won't be _good_. Whatever you want to call it."

"Jazmine didn't want to become an empath," Katie elaborated, "because she's smart. She was the youngest of all of us, and she was close to twenty two. If she came into contact with someone evil while twenty two and she was an empath, she most likely wouldn't have been able to separate her own feelings from theirs. It takes years to fully master. Sometimes a lifetime."

"Don't I know it." Raven snorted. "I barely had the hang of it."

"So, since she knows her limitations, she didn't want any of our powers. That's another thing." Katie snorted. "The more power you have, the harder it is to stay grounded. Sometimes that alone is enough to turn someone."

"And she's already really powerful. But she's sweet." Raven shrugged at Katie. "I think she'll be fine." Glancing at Huey she rolled her eyes. "Katie didn't trust her."

"She is nice." Katie's brow rose. "But nice people are too easily swayed."

Huey couldn't help but agree with her. Raven shrugged.

"So, yeah. That's about all I know."

"So, wait." Huey held up a hand. "You mean to tell me from a witch's twenty second birthday to their twenty third, each day runs a risk of them turning evil?"

"No," Genesis interjected patiently, shaking her head. "It's from their twenty second birthday to the summer solstice before their twenty third one, a witch's strongest day of the year."

"Smart woman." Katie nodded. "She's right. For me it wasn't hard since my birthday was in the beginning of June. I think I only had like what, a two week time frame?"

"Lucky." Raven rolled her eyes. "My birthday's in July, so I had to watch myself for almost an entire year. And trust. Demons, evil warlocks, sorcerers…they _do _come after you. I almost didn't make it-"

_Thump._

"Oh, my god." Denise rolled her eyes, staring down at the floor which Owen was now lying on. "Owen fainted."

"What," Katie mumbled, rolling her eyes, "A goddamn _baby_. He can't even see us."

"That's just Owen." Huey sighed. Raven turned to Katie.

"I think we've been in the world of the living long enough anyway." She nodded towards Genesis and Huey. "I hope ya'll find everything you need to get to Jazmine in time. I really do."

"Wait," Huey said as Raven and Katie began to fade. "Why did Helena's brother take you to different locations?"

"No idea." Raven shrugged, her voice fading. "Something about origin points or…how the fuck should I know?" And with that, they were gone. Huey sat back in his chair, shaking his head.

"This," he said a loud, "is a lot to take in."

"Of course it is." Genesis pat his hand sympathetically; on Huey's other side, Denise was fanning a still unconscious Owen with her notebook. "You are only but a mortal."

"I wish," Huey muttered, rolling his eyes, "everyone would quit saying that."

"Hey, I'm a mortal and I'm proud." Denise shook her head. "Seeing ghosts and shit is not my idea of fun…wait." She blinked. "If Huey can see ghosts, how does he classify as a mortal?"

"From what I've gathered, it's a temporary thing for one reason or another." Genesis frowned, glancing at him. "From my experience, those who can see ghosts who once couldn't…they obtain the ability when they are close to dying."

"Oh, _great_." Denise threw up her hands, letting the notebook fall; it smacked Owen in his chest and he groaned. "That's just fan-fucking-tastic."

Huey sighed, massaging his temples. "We're going to go look up Helena Conyers of North Carolina," he said, closing his eyes. "We're going to find the name of her brother, and we're going to track his ass down, because I _know _Jazmine's with him."

"Did you hear what she just _said_?" Denise gave him an incredulous look. "You're really still gonna go through with this?"

"Did you hear what _I _just said?" he shot back, annoyed. "We're _going _back to the office, we're _going _to find who the hell Helena Conyers' brother is, and we're _going _to get to Jazmine before he kills her." Denise opened her mouth to protest and he cut her off. "I don't care what you think about it, Denise. Alright? I. Don't. Care."

"What is it you young folk say these days?" Genesis scratched her chin. "'No fucks are given'?"

"Yes. Right. Thank you." Huey gestured to Genesis. "Like she said, no fucks are given. I have no fucks to give. Giving any fucks I shall not do. Now can we just get him off the goddamn floor and _go _now?"

"Alright, _boss_." Denise stood to her feet, gently nudging Owen's side with her foot. "C'mon, you coward. You heard the man. We're leaving now."

Huey rose to his feet himself as Genesis did so, holding out his hand. "Thank you for helping us," he said appreciatively. "You don't know how much that really did give us to work with."

Genesis looked at his hand before drawing him into an embrace. He cringed for a moment before hesitantly patting her back.

"Um…thanks…"

"She will be fine. You'll all be fine." Genesis smiled, letting him go and waving to Denise, who had finally wrestled a disoriented Owen off the floor. She waved back, dragging the redhead towards the door. "Just trust your instinct."

"Whatever you say." Huey followed the other two, still mulling over Katie and Raven's conversation. Owen groaned, rubbing the back of his head as they stepped into the sunshine.

"What do we do now?" he asked groggily, putting on his sunglasses and breaking out his cigarettes. Denise quickly snatched the pack.

"Give me one. Oh, my god." She put one in her mouth, handing the pack back to an amused Owen. Huey rolled his eyes, already starting for the metro station. The other two quickly caught up to him. Denise lit her cigarette, inhaling sharply and sighing. "I am so stressed."

"Me, too." Owen lit his own cigarette. Huey glared at him.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your nap in there, because none of us are going home until we find her and this entire thing is over."

"Fair enough." Denise took another drag, stretching. "We've got leads now. I feel like this is going to be okay."

"Me, too." Owen nodded with conviction. Huey rolled his eyes.

If only he could feel the same confidence they'd suddenly managed to acquire.

* * *

I hope ya'll liked it! Lawd knows for the longest time I didn't. And I hope no one's ready to kill me off how long it took. Haha.

Until next time (hopefully sooner than later),

-Kelsey


	12. The Value of Seven

ZOMG I'M UPDATING ALREADY LAWLZ OMFG YAH. I really appreciate all the reviews I got and the fact that people actually still read my stories! I got all warm and fuzzy and all those other icky gross sappy feelings no one cares about. I'd thank every single person who did review, but I'm tired. And I'm sick. And I have school in eight hours. And just...ugh. But yeah, I hope this chapter clears some things up. Actually, it might make some stuff worse. Ya'll will be alright. It'll make sense by the end if it doesn't now.

...Hopefully. O_o

Oh, and even though I'm too tired/lazy to list who reviewed, someone mentioned not liking Maya. And honestly? I'm glad you don't. LOL. She's an OC I made (since the person asked) and I'd much rather everyone hate her than for her to be all Mary Sue-ish. So if you like her, that's awesome. If you don't, that's also awesome, because sometimes even I don't like her. ;)

Umm, I did proofread, but I am sick and it is late, so there may be mistakes. It happens. Whatever.

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I still, yet again, don't own The Boondocks.

* * *

The Value of Seven

_The sunset was fascinating for some reason that day._

_He stared up through the window he was sitting by, putting down his pen. He glanced towards the corner where he assumed she was sleeping, her back turned to him. He sighed, looking back at the oranges and the blood reds of the tapestry that lay overhead. The sun had already disappeared below the treetops, but bright, nearly blinding rays still fell through the window. _

_How was it that the world could be so beautiful, yet contain so much darkness? He couldn't help but snort to himself._

_It was funny, in a sad way. He was contemplating darkness in the world while contributing to it. _

_He finally forced himself to stare back down at his lap, reading the thick, dusty book that lay open before flipping the page. His eyes narrowed._

'_Soul Transference', he read silently. He glanced towards the corner, clearing his throat loudly. She didn't move. After a few seconds he repeated the noise. He heard her sigh._

"_It won't work." His eyes narrowed; he hated that her mind could pick up his ideas without him having to utter a word. Her voice was exhausted, weak. "It wouldn't give you anyone's powers. It's to bring back a person from the dead."_

"_I know." He tapped the page. "It says you need a body to put the deceased person's soul in." He could feel excitement building in his chest. "I could bring my sister back, couldn't I?"_

"_It. Won't. Work." He frowned at her repeated words. "Mortals can't do it."_

"_Why can't you do it, then?"_

"_How could I?" He heard her snort, as if there were something funny. "I'm not stupid. If you could do it you'd obviously plan to use my body after you killed me to put her soul in." When her response was met by silence she slowly rolled over, staring at him. "Right?"_

"_How do you do that?" He shook his head, sounding somewhere between angry and curious. "How do you read my thoughts?"_

"_I don't." She slowly shook her head, the minor motion making her dizzy. She took a deep breath. "I can only see future events when someone decides on a course of action. If you don't know what you're going to do, I don't know how it's going to end." _

"_That means you _have _been hiding things from me," he snapped. She glared, although it was weak._

"_No," she shot back. "I haven't told you anything I've seen because I can't see anything. Because _someone _keeps using sedatives on me." She rested her head against the wood, breathing deeply. "You don't have to keep drugging me. I'm useless at this point anyway."_

"_How can you tell?"_

"_You try not being fed real food for a month," she replied curtly, lifting her head to glare at him. He examined her with critical eyes._

"_Tell me about the coven that killed my sister."_

_She blinked, her eyes searching his face. After a few moments of silence she shook her head, turning to face the wall again._

"_Tell me how you found us." It was his turn to pause. "All seven of us."_

"_I asked first."_

"_And I don't care." When he opened his mouth to speak her voice cut him off. "I'm the one who's dying. It's the least you could do."_

"_Tell me, and I'll tell you." He shrugged when she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed and her expression reluctant. "Promise."_

_She snorted, rolling her eyes._

"_Because I can really trust you."_

"_Well, you are dying." Her mouth set in a hard line as he repeated her words. "It's the least I could do."_

_She swallowed, staring up at the ceiling, resting her hands over her stomach. She heard it growl without even feeling it. It was truly pathetic when you were so used to starving that you didn't even feel hungry._

"_There's seven of them." Her voice was much quieter, as if she was afraid of being overheard. "Five men and two women. They're the oldest surviving witches and warlocks…they're somewhere between three and four centuries old."_

_His eyebrows lifted, his expression skeptical._

"_Don't toy with me, witch."_

"_Why would I do that?" she asked, her voice tense. He snorted._

"_It's impossible for anyone to live that long, regardless of if they're mortals or not."_

"_It is," she agreed, her eyes still locked on the dark wood above her head, "at least until you start killing people to transfer your soul into their body." When he continued to look unconvinced she sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "It's exactly what you were just talking about. Soul transference. It takes a truly messed up person to pull it off, and that's exactly what they all are." She frowned. "They're obsessed with the idea of being immortal and young forever. They change bodies anywhere from every two to twelve years. It makes it hard to find them."_

_He began to pace, appearing pensive._

"_Living for eternity." He nodded. "It's possible to do that with this soul transference?"_

"_It's a painful process." She gave him a warning look. "It's not worth it. The moment you do it, your own soul is tainted. If you don't keep changing bodies, chances are you're going to be killed. Also, each time you do it gets harder on you. Some people die just from attempting it."_

"_If that's so," he asked, turning on his heel and staring across the room at her, "then why would they continue to do it?"_

"_Because they're crazy?" she suggested. When her remark was met by an icy glare she exhaled, closing her eyes again. "Because they're searching for a way to stay alive forever without having to do the process any longer. Rumor has it that they're really close to finding a way. It has something to do with the major arcana."_

"_The what?"_

"_The tarot." When he didn't interrupt her with another question she went on. "There's seventy eight cards total in a tarot deck; twenty two of those cards make up the major arcana. It's something to do with those cards. I don't know what, though, and I'm not sure if I even believe it." She snorted. "Even I think looking to a card deck for answers to your problems is stupid."_

_He was silent. Then, he was blinking._

"_Why is living forever a bad thing?" _

"_We're not meant to live forever." She coughed, wincing. "Otherwise no one would have to go through that process. We'd just…be."_

"_I see." He stopped in front of the window in front of where he'd been sitting, staring outside for a minute before looking at her again._

"_So, even if I were to strip your powers…" He paused. "I might not ever come across this coven?"_

"_No." She shook her head. "You'd have more of a chance of them coming after you than the other way around. You'd really have to piss them off, or they'd have to really need you for something important to find you." Her eyes hardened. "It's your turn now. Tell me how you found all seven of us. _I _barely even met any of the other guardians."_

_He stared at her, his expression unreadable. She forced herself to stare back, lifting her chin. Finally, he sighed._

"_I had no idea of you or any the other women's existence." He resumed his slow pacing, staring at the floor. "I had no desire to kill anyone. I wanted to just move on and try to get past Helena's death." He shrugged. "I'm assuming that you're right about it being difficult to find them and easy for them to find you…because they found me quick."_

_She blinked. He went on without even looking at her._

"_It was three nights before her funeral." His voice grew quieter. "One of the women from this same coven you told me about came to me. Thanks to Helena's warlock boyfriend she had been keeping tabs on us. She told me that she could make a deal with me." He let out a shaky laugh. "At first I said no but then she told me that she could bring Helena back…and that in the process I could acquire powers like hers."_

"_She was lying." Her voice was still hard, but there was a hint of sympathy. "Mortals can't gain powers. They're inherited. Genetic." _

"_Well, she told me otherwise." He swallowed, turning on his heel and pacing back towards her. He held up his text. "She gave me this book and told me that I could drain a witch's powers if I did it correctly. That was what she wanted me to do in order to return Helena. She said that seven witches would be attending the funeral, and that she wanted six of them dead."_

_Her eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "Six?" When he nodded she frowned. "But…there were seven of us."_

"_Exactly." His expression was grim, and almost apologetic. Almost. "She told me to save the seventh one for her."_

_For a moment her expression remained puzzled. Then, realization dawned on her and her eyes widened._

"_Oh, my god," she breathed. _

"_She said to strip the powers of the other six however I wanted, but was adamant about me saving you for last." He turned his back to her. "She said that you represented seven, and that seven was the number of the universe. Completeness. A balance between the soul and the body." He sighed, glancing over his shoulder at her. "She told me that she could place you all in the right place at the right time, that she'd done harder things as a pathfinder."_

"_Oh, my fucking god," she muttered. Either he didn't hear her or he chose to ignore her because he went on._

"_She told me that you brought it on yourselves, that you seven had been after them for years and that they were sick of it. She knew a lot about all of you, considering you said it's hard to find them."_

"_Why would you agree to go along with her?" she asked, her voice strained. He gave her a look._

"_It was your lives, or mine." He sat back down, opening his book again. "And it's a lot easier to accept complete strangers dying than yourself being killed."_

_She glared at him._

"_So, you're not going to kill me." She shook her head. "She is."_

_He looked up, nodding._

"_She didn't want me to tell you. She didn't want you to know that she had different plans for you than for the others. She said she needed you angry instead of afraid for what she's doing to work, and that you'd be angrier if you thought I wanted you dead alone."_

_She shook her head again in shock. He regarded her with a cold expression._

"_When you're gone, this will be over, and Helena will be back." He sighed. "That makes all this worth it."_

"_You psycho," she said in a sharp voice. "She's not going to bring your sister back! She's going to kill me and then she's going to kill you!" She closed her eyes again, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "How could you not see that?"_

"_She gave me her word," he replied mildly. She laughed._

"_Oh, that's great. You got her word. That should do you good." She rolled back over, facing the wall again. "So, when's she coming to kill me? Tonight? Tomorrow? Three days from now?"_

_There was a gentle breeze, and then a cold female voice beside her ear caused her eyes to pop open._

"_You don't worry about when I come and go." A woman with piercing black eyes, short, black hair, and a cold smirk was staring down at her. She was so caught off guard that she sprang up, her back hitting the wall. The newcomer stared unblinkingly into her wide green eyes, as if inspecting her._

"_The James witch. Twenty one." The woman looked pleased. "And not yet bound by conscience. Untraceable." She smiled. "We still caught you though, didn't we?"_

_She glared at the woman before staring past her to him, her eyes pleading._

"_She's lying to you." Her voice was shaking, but she pressed on. "She doesn't care about you or your sister. She helped _kill _your sister! She just wants-"_

"_No one asked you to talk," the woman said coolly, rising to her feet again and walking towards him. She stopped beside him, both of them facing her. "He wants his sister back and I can do that for him, especially since he ever so graciously helped me finish off your others." She shrugged lightly. "Mortals and their _emotions_-" she said the word with disgust "-make them do the most irrational things for those they love, don't they? Especially when they're manipulated."_

"_You're an empath." She lifted her eyes heavenward. "This entire thing just keeps getting better and better."_

"_And you're a smart witch if you could figure that out so quickly." The woman appraised her with a blank expression. "I almost wouldn't expect it." Her nose wrinkled. "You are, after all, half mortal."_

_She glowered at her. "If that's such a bad thing then why would you even want anything to do with me?"_

"_Because." The woman walked back to her, crouching in front of her again and running her index finger along her cheek. "Your power precedes your disgusting mortal lineage. Your power is what I need to be able to carry out what we've been waiting to finish for centuries. To receive our long awaited reward of immortality." She leveled her with a look._

"_I'm going to tell you what we're going to do, just so you can prepare yourself." The woman abruptly unclenched her fingers, letting them drop back to her knee. Then, to her surprise, the woman reached into her pocket and withdrew a pocketknife. Her eyes widened, but then to her surprise the woman was cutting through the rope around her wrists, pulling it away and tossing it aside. The man opened his mouth to protest but she shot him a look._

"_She won't run away." The woman watched her as she rubbed her wrists, her expression wary. She did the same for the bindings around her ankles, throwing the rope and putting away her knife. "Because I'd find her before she could even get out these woods. And I don't like to chase." _

"_You do, obviously." The woman's eyes hardened as she spoke up. "You're a pathfinder. Otherwise you would've never known where we were. You used that to find everyone, and then you-"_

"_Shut up!" the woman yelled, making her clamp her mouth shut. She ran a hand through her dark hair. "Maybe you're too smart." She rose to her feet, neatly lacing her fingers together and staring down at her. "Anyway, here's the plan." She paused as if wanting to add suspense before going on. "He's not going to drain your powers. I am." She shrugged. "I'm sure if that doesn't kill you, the soul transference will." She lifted one of her hands to examine her nails. "This body's getting a bit old."_

_Her jaw dropped and she began choking, her eyes wide._

"_Wait, what?" The woman was already walking towards the door. "Wait!" She racked her mind for something, anything to say, but instead she shut her mouth as the woman turned towards her again with a hard expression._

"_I don't negotiate." She shook her head. "Your powers will soon be mine, and so will your body. I'll let you witness firsthand how "messed up"-" she made quotation marks with her fingers mockingly "-the rest of the coven and I can be." She glanced at the man._

"_Don't drug her anymore. I don't want her completely weakened." She glanced over her shoulder, her expression pensive. "It usually works better when they put up a fight."_

_She looked so angry that the woman smirked, waving her hand flippantly and pushing the door open. _

"_Enjoy your last thirty hours alive, witch."_

_The door slammed behind her and she let out a cry of frustration, burying her face in her hands. She lifted her head again, her eyes hardening at the man who was now staring at her with a calm expression._

"_You're disgusting and cruel." She was so mad that she could feel herself shaking. He blinked. "She's using you and she's going to kill us both because you were too much of a moron to see that." She ignored the tears that were freely flowing down her face. "I hate you."_

_He shrugged, rising to his feet, holding his book again. He read it as he paced, smirking._

"_I was wondering when you'd get angry." His response only made her angrier. "The others got mad way quicker. Especially the one before you. I think her name was Raven." She closed her eyes, pressing her lips together. "She was angry the moment she woke up the first day." He sighed, his eyes never leaving the text. "You've done well so far, considering you got the worst deal of them all. Obviously your anger's _much _more warranted."_

"_And obviously, you're an idiot." He looked up, glaring; she snorted, hatred flashing in her eyes. "You think your sister would want to see you doing this? You think she'd be flattered or proud?" His eyes hardened. "She'd think you were a monster. Because that's exactly what you are."_

"_Shut up, witch-" he snapped, but she ignored him._

"_She'd hate you as much as I do," she spat, the adrenaline from her anger making her feel as if the temperature had risen a good twenty degrees. "She wouldn't be grateful, or happy, and she probably wouldn't talk to you again. You'd be dead to her."_

"_Shut UP!" His face was filled with outrage._

"_Helena would never forgive you," she went on, her voice growing louder and louder with each word she spoke. Noticing the expression that had risen on his face the moment she said her name she nodded. " We go to her funeral to pay our respects and you fucking kill us. Not only us, but your little deal?" She snarled. "Yeah, you've just helped get that psychotic ass coven one step closer to destroying _everything _as the world knows it_._ The same coven that killed your sister. She'd _really _love that." She laughed. "You're going to die." He froze. "You_ _happy now? Because I am. You're gonna die. And I'm glad." She took a deep breath. His expression was murderous. "You deserve to die. You deserve for your sister to hate you. You deserve every bad thing that happens to you and more because you are one goddamn sick bastard!"_

_The moment she shouted the last word there was a blast, and both she and the man gasped and threw their hands over their faces as the remaining window panes blew out, the glass shattering and flying through the air. The light from the sunset made the tiny pieces shine like diamonds as they rained down on the floor. She stared at the damage with a look of surprise, slowly looking back at him. He assessed the damage, shaking his head._

"_I thought you were useless."_

_She swallowed, the shock still pulsing through her. "I…I don't know how I did that." She stared up at the ceiling, the adrenaline seeming to pour out of her veins and leaving her feeling the same as before; she became aware again of how her legs and arms still felt like lead. It was draining enough trying to lift her head. It was even worse speaking. It felt like her body was even preparing for death, every cell slowing its movement to get ready for when her heart stopped. _

_How _had_ she managed to do that? She ran her hands over her face, staring at the remainder of the windowpane closest to her. That was impossible. She wasn't supposed to be able to make things explode! _

"_Consider it a gift." She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice came from beside her. She stared at the translucent figure of Alicia True, who was sitting beside her, her back also against the wall. As her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak the woman shook her head, gesturing towards the man and placing a finger over her lips._

"_We have a plan. Don't worry." She nodded, placing her hand over hers. Her eyes narrowed._

"_We?" she whispered, risking a glance towards the man; he had gone back to examining the glass on the floor. The ghost nodded._

"_You can't die. There's too much at stake, and you're the only one who can fix it now." She shrugged, looking thoughtful. "I'm not surprised it came down to you. There has always been something special about the number seven." _

_Before she could even blink, the woman had vanished. She rubbed her eyes, looking around as if she'd imagined the entire thing. He had gone from inspecting the glass to watching her face._

"_Do you know how that happened?" he asked, his voice low. She stared at him. She couldn't help but smirk._

_It was time to be a liar._

"_No." He continued to contemplate her expression but she was already rolling over again, facing the wall and closing her eyes. "I honestly have no idea."_

_She had to make a break for it. She knew that the woman was probably lurking somewhere nearby, that the moment she stepped out into the open she could be killed, but she couldn't die there. She'd rather die trying to escape than to just let them kill her at their leisure._

_Now, she just had to figure out how._

"Huey, wake _up_."

Huey had just enough time to bolt up in his chair and grab the trashcan beside his desk before he was vomiting, the sound making Owen sit up in his chair and Denise's eyes widened. A few seconds later he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, shaking his head and trying to calm down the erratic pumping his heart seemed to be doing.

"Holy…shit." He dropped the trashcan back to the floor, running his hands over his face. He spun around to look out the window. It was already dark outside. It had been for a good half an hour, at least. "Wherever they are, their time zone's an hour behind ours."

"I'm sorry," Denise said sarcastically, walking around the desk towards him. She was looking at him as if he were nuts. He didn't blame her. It probably seemed weird to wake up from a sudden sleep, throw up, and proceed to talk about time zones. "I'm too busy still worrying over how you just passed out and then woke up in time to _vomit_."

"It was a reaction to…you know, I can't even explain it." He took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts since his mind felt as if someone had opened it, stuffed it full of imagery that didn't even belong to him, and sewed it shut. Denise would never get it. _He _didn't even understand why it was happening, and it was his own damn mind. "It's not whatever's wrong with me that's doing it. I actually feel better since you gave me those shots to take. I'm fine."

"So, what happened?" Even Owen, for once in his miserable life, looked concerned. "You just sort of lay your head down and then you fell asleep, but there was something weird about it…and all of a sudden you're throwing up." He gestured to him. "Your expression…you looked like you were scared to death."

"I'm _fine_," Huey said stiffly, his nose wrinkling at the trashcan. No. He wasn't. With each dream he had about her the images became more real, to the point where he felt like he was in the room while everything was happening. It was as if he could feel the fear that had struck her the moment that woman had walked in, the anger she'd felt when she heard what was going to happen to her…and the excitement she'd felt when she realized that there was a possibility she could get out alive. Yet at the same time, she knew her chances, and that they were slim.

Had Katie and Raven gotten a hold of the other dead guardians? They had to. Otherwise Alicia never would've known to go to her.

…Wait, how could _she _figure out where Jazmine was and she wasn't even alive?

The more he thought about it, the larger his headache got, so he decided to just leave it alone. There was only so much his brain could process at that point.

He eased his trashcan back under his desk with his shoe, shaking his head and glancing back at his computer screen. He yawned. "Alright. So. We were-"

"You're really going to just leave that there?" Denise asked, gesturing to the trashcan. Her voice was shrill. Huey shrugged.

"Until I go, yes."

"Oh, my god…_men_." She rolled her eyes, lightly shoving past him so she could reach under his desk and grab the trashcan. Making a face she tied the trash bag, dropping the can back to the floor and carrying the trash out the door. "How disgusting."

Owen blinked, exchanging confused looks with Huey, who merely shrugged again.

"I…didn't see the problem with leaving it there." Owen made a 'duh' expression, snorting. "I mean the trash wasn't even _full_."

"I get her point, but it's not like I was going to leave it there all damn night, just until we left. Like it would've killed her to leave it where she couldn't even see it." Huey shook his head, still reading. "Whatever."

"Women," they both muttered in unison before Huey was snapping his fingers in Owen's face.

"Alright, we have to focus," Huey pointed out, his eyes narrowing at the computer screen. Owen eyed him.

"I'm not the one who just fell asleep. Oh, and threw up." He eyed him. "Do you want a mint or a toothbrush or…you know…_anything_?"

Huey gave him a blank stare. "Yes, I'm going to get to that if you give me like, two minutes. Now shut up." He ignored Owen's snickering and went on. "There were four different Helena Conyers listed that lived in North Carolina, but obviously she's the dead one. And…that's it. Helena Leigh." He gestured to the screen. "Helena Leigh Conyers. She was from Durham, North Carolina."

"Awesome." Owen was tapping on his own laptop, a grin breaking out onto his face. It quickly fell. "Her death certificate…that's not going to help-"

"Her obituary." Huey pointed to the screen. "Okay, so if we read it for her surviving family members-"

"His name's Julius Austin Conyers," Denise said casually, walking back into the room, drying her hands with a paper towel. "He was her only brother. He's forty one." When both men ogled her she shrugged. "What?"

"Denise!" Huey threw up his hands. "Why the hell wouldn't you have _told _us that by now?"

"I found it right before your head dropped to your desk like a sack of potatoes!" she shot back, waving her hand towards him. "God, it flew from my mind the moment I thought you just dropped _dead_."

"Oh, my god." Huey pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. She rolled her eyes, sitting back down beside Owen. "You are the worst."

"Why, because I care about you? Get over yourself, Freeman." Denise held up a file. "I even managed to call a few of his relatives while you were snoozing or dying or having a prophetic dream or _whatever_ the hell you were doing. The few family members who actually talked to the guy haven't heard from him in months. 'Since his sister died', they said. He worked at a Winn-Dixie and stopped showing up around October twenty fifth. So, you know what that means."

"Yup. It's him." Huey shook his head. "And we _still _have no idea where he is."

Owen tapped his pen against the desk. Denise bit her lip. The room filled with silence as they racked their brains for some clue, some forgotten evidence that maybe they'd overlooked-

"Mississippi."

Huey and Denise's heads turned towards Owen, who was leaning to the side in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. Huey blinked.

"_Why_."

"The hell if I know!" Owen snorted. "Why were _any _of them found where they were? I know ya'll think this is some supernatural thing and I understand that, but face it." He shrugged. "The guy doesn't have a pattern. He doesn't have some playbook he's following, no set location. He's just trying to throw off people like us because he knows that everyone on the eastern seaboard is looking for him. I mean, do you know how much publicity this has been getting?" He stretched, rising to his feet. Huey and Denise looked up at him. He stared at them, his eyes taking on a rare softness that made Denise's eyebrows rise.

"I'll help you two keep looking because I'd like to believe we could find her." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But the truth is, we have nothing pointing us to where he could be. _Nothing_. And…she's probably going to die." Huey's eyes hardened. "I'm sorry to say it. I really am. I know you really want to find her, but she's going to die. And we have to brace ourselves for that because it's the most probable outcome of this entire thing." He sighed, turning on his heel. "I need coffee. Lots…and lots…of coffee." He glanced over his shoulder. "Ya'll want anything?"

They shook their heads. He walked down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Huey and Denise looked at each other, and Denise offered an apologetic shrug.

"He…he is right though."

Huey sighed heavily. "I know. He's right." He stared up at the ceiling, slowly spinning around in his chair. "She's probably gonna die. And there's absolutely nothing we can do about it."

Denise snapped her fingers, sitting up straighter. "I could run another background check on him. See what kind of car he has and put out a notice. Everyone from Florida to Maine will be looking for it."

"It'll take too long." Huey was slowly but surely beginning to accept their current circumstances. "Besides, he hasn't even been _using _a car. For all we know he got rid of it."

Denise stared at him, her brow furrowed. He stared at the computer screen, sighing. She groaned.

"There's gotta be something we've looked over." She waved her hands. "You said you've been dreaming about her. Did you see her surroundings?"

Huey rolled his eyes. "What, you think a big 'Welcome to South Carolina' sign popped up in it or something?"

"No." Denise glared at him. "We could have people search-"

"Search _where_?" Huey snapped. He tore his eyes from the screen, glaring back at her. "You want to know where she is? In some log cabin in the middle of the _woods_. Or a swamp. Or a marsh. And do you know how many areas there are like that?" Denise clamped her mouth shut. "Do you know how large and dense they all are? We haven't overlooked anything," he concluded, folding his hands behind his ears and leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes. "We're not going to find her in the twenty eight hours or so we have left. We're just not." He groaned. "Why are we even still _trying_?"

"Because we care," Denise said quietly. He cracked open an eye and glanced at her. "Because _someone _has to try." When Huey didn't say anything, instead closing his eyes again and tilting his head towards the ceiling she sighed, pushing herself out of her seat.

"I'm gonna go grab a sandwich. Walk around. Clear my head." She paused. "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head. She started for the door and paused.

"Do you wanna come?" When he didn't react she tried again. "You could probably use a break, too-"

"Goodbye, Denise." Huey turned towards the window, ignoring her. She shook her head, turning on her heel and walking out. He waited for the sound of her heels clacking against the tiled floor to disappear down the hallway before he dropped his face in his hands, letting out an angry groan.

Jazmine was going to die. Jazmine, who had never hurt a single person in her life, was going to die. Jazmine, who was supposed to have the rest of her life to look forward to, who had already had enough shit to deal with, was going to die.

Even if they _did _miraculously find her…they wouldn't just be dealing with some nutcase who wanted to avenge his sister. They'd be dealing with him _and _a witch. A witch who, from what he'd observed, was a pretty big deal. She'd probably kill them _all_. And did he really want to drag Owen and Denise into that?

Her parents were going to be devastated. Cindy was going to be crushed. Even Cairo, who he couldn't stand any more than someone could stand an ingrown toenail, was going to be upset. Jazmine had impacted so many people's lives and she probably didn't even realize it. And the one time, the _only _time she needed someone, he couldn't even be smart enough to figure out where she was.

He probably would've sat there and hated himself even more if it weren't for the soft _whooshing _sound that he heard behind him, followed by a gentle breeze. He lifted his head from his hands, his eyes narrowing.

"You," he snapped, spinning around in his chair and glaring at Freda, who was sitting in the chair Denise had vacated with her arms folded over her chest, "have a lot of nerve showing up now. Because you've done nothing to help me find your granddaughter, who you supposedly want rescued so much." He shook his head, waving his hand dismissively towards her and spinning around again. "Get out of here."

"So much anger," Freda muttered behind him. He spun around again, throwing up his hands.

"Goddamn _duh_, Freda!" he shouted, making her blink. "What do you expect me to be? You expected me to save her and you didn't give me a single, solitaire thing to work with. And now she's going to die. Jazmine's going to die and I can't figure out how to stop it because of all you ghosts and all your cryptic bullshit and-" he stopped, taking a deep breath and giving her a look of disgust. "Why the hell am I still even talking to you? Go!"

"You have everything," Freda said in a low voice, her own green eyes narrowing. "You have _everything _you need to find her."

"Oh, I do?" Huey nodded mockingly, his expression hard. "No, I don't. Because I'd be on my way to get her by now, so don't tell me what I have because I don't have shit."

"You have the diary." Freda snorted, gesturing to him. "That should've been more than enough to tell you where to go."

"_How_?" Huey yelled, causing her to shoot him a dirty look. It was a good thing that everyone on his floor had left by now, otherwise someone probably would've thought he was losing his mind. Hell, he probably was.

Maybe he wouldn't be so damn mad if everyone didn't go around pissing him the fuck off.

"How the hell is reading some diary from the twentieth century supposed to inform me on Julius Conyers' whereabouts? How is it supposed to point me in the direction of where Jazmine is going to die? If you know where she is _why can't you tell me_?" It was taking everything he had to not full out explode on her. "What kind of help are you? What kind of _grandmother _are you? Do you even care about her? Do you even really love her?"

"You hold it," Freda snapped, pointing at him. "Don't you _dare _try to say I don't love my granddaughter."

"You don't, because you wouldn't stand by while this happens to her!" he bellowed, slamming his fist on the desktop. "You'd be doing everything, _every_thing in your power, to make sure she was found and she was safe! You'd say 'to hell with this' to your dumbass rules and regulations and you'd find her! You'd do whatever it took." He shook his head, turning away. "You don't love her. Not like-" He stopped, blinking in surprise. Freda, despite the situation, gave him a knowing look.

"I don't love her like _you _do?"

He shook his head, not even looking at her. "That is _not _what I was going to say."

"Then what were you going to say?" Freda sat up straighter, her tone patient.

"It doesn't matter right now!" Huey rolled his eyes, glancing at her. "What matters is that you're getting on my case about not knowing where she is and you've probably known this entire time!"

"Huey." Freda was shaking her head. "_You've _known this entire time." His eyebrows rose. "The answer has been right in front of you. The answer was in that first page of that diary. It was even on the family tree you found." She shrugged. "You kept emphasizing how important it was to learn her family's origin. And you have it." She sighed, giving him a sympathetic look. "That witch who found her and all the others found them because she traced origins, and she used that knowledge to her advantage. Well, along with her powers, but that's not the point." She gestured to him. "You have that same knowledge about her now. So use it."

Huey opened his mouth, but before he could say a word she had vanished. He groaned, clenching his fists and waving them as he spun around in his chair.

"Why," he mumbled, annoyed beyond belief, "do they always fucking _do that_?" The silence was his only response. He placed his fingers together, resting his elbows on the chair's arms and slowly spinning around.

At least Freda showing up had given him someone to let his anger out on. Now, he could concentrate. He could think clearly.

'_You've known this entire time.'_

He shook his head, closing his eyes as Freda's words echoed in his head.

'_The answer has been right in front of you.'_

But _where_? Anya's diary had been nothing more but a melodramatic love story. She'd fallen in love with some guy twice her age and he'd been killed because of his jealous son. She'd moved and stared a new life. She was never happy again. Blah blah, typical. But how was that supposed to help him any?

'_You kept emphasizing how important it was to learn her family's origin.'_

His eyes popped open. He blinked, something in his mind flashing.

No. _No_. It couldn't be that simple.

'_So use it.'_

"Oh, my god."

He _had _known. He'd known for a good three weeks. Freda was right; he'd been trying to find out about her family history, about the other victims' family histories, and had gotten sidetracked by all the other details. He'd figured that the past has nothing to do with the present.

But he was wrong. He'd been _horribly _wrong.

He bolted out of his chair so quickly he almost knocked it over; he ran out the door, past Denise's desk, rounded the corner of the hallway-

-And ran smack into Owen, who was carrying a carrier of coffees.

Or at least, he had been.

"Aw, shit!" Owen grumbled as the carrier, crushed between him and Huey, dropped out of his hands, the coffee cups sloshing everything within a three foot radius as they tumbled to the floor. Owen groaned; his entire front was covered in it. Huey glanced down.

It had gotten all over himself, too. But he didn't _care_.

"Owen."

"Dude, really?" Owen sighed, shaking his head and crouching down to pick up the cups. "Do you know how much it costs to dry clean this shit-"

"_Owen_."

"You're paying for it." Owen was still annoyed. "You're the one who-"

"I'm paying for your tacky ass suit no one gives two shits about to be dry cleaned, _fine_!" Huey interrupted, causing Owen to blink up at him. "But first we're going to get Jazmine."

Owen rolled his eyes, dabbing at his blazer with an already coffee soaked napkin.

"We are, are we?" he responded sarcastically. When Huey nodded, barely able to keep track of how fast his thoughts were racing, Owen gave him a doubtful expression. "And how is that?"

Huey smirked.

"Because I know _exactly _where she is."

Owen's eyes widened. Forgetting the cups he bolted back up, staring back at Huey as if he'd just told him that there was human life on Saturn.

"How? Where? Wait, what?"

"Just call Denise, because we're leaving tonight." Huey turned on his heel, heading back around the corner. Behind him, he heard Owen scrambling to catch up to him.

"Wait!" He fell in step with Huey, shaking his head. "Nuh uh, noob. We can't just go rushing off to wherever we think she is. We have to call people. Alert authorities. Get together a team to-"

"No time."

"We can't just _not _do that!" Owen followed Huey back into his office, where he went behind his desk to cut his computer off. "We'd be breaking protocol! We'd be fired!"

"I don't care." Huey didn't even look up. "I'll go by myself if it's that serious to you."

Owen ran his hands over his face, sighing heavily. He finally crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed.

"How positive are you that she's where you think she is?"

"I'd bet my life on it." Huey grabbed his keys off his desk, rushing past Owen. He turned to watch Huey walk towards the elevators before clearing his throat. Huey glanced over his shoulder.

"_What_?"

Owen nodded, letting his arms fall to his sides. He walked up to Huey, who had pressed the down button for the elevator, and clapped him on the back.

"I'm with you."

Huey nodded. The elevator doors opened and they both stepped in, resting their backs against the wall as the doors closed.

"Then we're going to go get Denise, and we're going to go." Owen nodded in agreement. "Oh, and one more thing."

Owen glanced to the afro wearing man beside him. "What's that?"

Huey glared at him.

"Don't ever touch me." He faced forward again, missing the way Owen shook his head and smirked. "Never, ever again."

Owen snorted.

"Whatever you say, Freeman." The elevator doors opened to the main lobby and Huey started forward; he fell in step behind him. "And don't think I still ain't gonna make you pay to clean this shit."

* * *

"Wait, so _how _did you find out where she is again?"

"Easy." Huey turned towards Denise, who was trying to keep up with his quick pace; he didn't bother admitting how much easier it would have been to think of if he weren't so slow. "Julius Conyers didn't do this alone. Well, he killed them all, but there was someone behind him pulling the strings."

"So, whose idea was it really?" Owen asked from his other side, sounded slightly winded and even more confused. The airport terminal was so crowded that they didn't even worry about being overheard.

"A witch. And don't look at me like that." Huey gave Owen, whose cheeks had puffed up with concealed laughter at his response, a glare. "I'm serious. With everything that's happened by now you should be used to this."

"I'll _never _be used to this."

"Shit." Denise stared upwards and the three of them stopped abruptly; a couple who had been walking behind them nearly tripped over Owen's suitcase and they both stalked past the trio, glaring. She stared up at the flight tracker, groaning. "Our flight's delayed."

"That's okay though, because we still have until tomorrow night," Owen pointed out.

"Yeah, but we still have to find the place!" Denise argued. Huey rolled his eyes.

"Just come on," he said, continuing towards their gate; the other two scurried to catch up to him again. Then again he'd been the one they'd had to chase nearly the entire time since he'd told them about where they were going and why. After all, he'd been able to go to his apartment, pack, take a shower and brush his teeth (since Denise and Owen just would _not _let it go with the vomit jokes), and drive to the airport within an hour. Denise had taken a good hour and a half. And Owen, who Huey was realizing to be some kind of diva, almost took three hours until Huey had called him and threatened to beat him within an inch of his life if he didn't bring his ass.

"Okay, so there's a witch behind this dude who caused this entire thing to happen, fine." Denise shot Huey a look. "Why? What did the victims ever do to her?"

Huey shrugged. "Well, actually, they were trying to kill her and the rest of her coven members."

Denise's mouth fell open. "Wait, who the hell _isn't _trying to murder someone in this story?"

"Us?" Owen offered. Denise shrugged, shifting her duffel bag on her shoulder.

"Unless necessary," she said. Owen snorted.

"I don't know how we're going to be able to kill anyone since we're not even taking any _weapons_-"

"I told you, I've got the hookup." Denise smirked. "I know some people where we're going. We'll be fine in the weapons department."

"Alright." Owen looked at Huey again as they all avoided crashing into a group of confused looking, Greek speaking tourists. "I'm getting a headache."

"Please," Huey grumbled, looking irritated. "I've had one for the past month."

"I still don't understand why they were all found in such random places." Denise blew a strand of hair out her eyes.

"To us they were random." Huey turned towards her. "To them, it made perfect sense. He wanted to get their powers and believed the easiest way to do that would be to take them back to where their magical ancestry started. Katie was the first guardian because she was the first generation witch in her family. There weren't any others, at least not any that anyone knew of. Angela was a second generation witch, Robyn a third, and so on…it's what Katie and Raven were saying earlier today, and it's what I read almost a month ago. They go all the way to the seventh generation witch because they're typically the most powerful. Jazmine's maternal ancestry extends back to the Druids in Ireland. The few records there are about them says that Druids died off by the second century, but maybe they didn't. I don't know."

"But what does that have to do with where they were found?" Denise asked before rolling her eyes at a little girl who darted past her, almost tripping her. "Raise yo kids, assholes!"

"Like I said, Julius probably figured if he went to where their ancestors' powers originated he'd get better results with what he was trying to do," Huey explained again with as much patience as possible. "Katie was born and raised in Connecticut, but since she was the only known witch in her family and she was already in his proximity he just kept her in North Carolina. Katie was the only victim that didn't have an ancestral background involved since she was the only witch so it didn't matter where she was. But Angela…" his forehead scrunched in concentration until he snapped his fingers. "Angela actually _lived _in North Carolina, closer to the South Carolina border, so he took her back to Tennessee where her mother was from."

"How the hell did you figure _that _out?" Owen asked. Huey rolled his eyes.

"I looked it all up while your slow ass was packing because you were taking so long. Shut up. Anyway," he went on, ignoring the glare that Owen shot him, "Robyn was in Tennessee visiting family when he got to her. Her grandmother was from Baltimore, so that's where they went."

"But how did they all _happen _to be in the same proximity as him when he killed one and went to the next?" Denise pointed out. Huey shrugged.

"I have no idea. I think that this witch that was after them had some sort of influence, but I don't know how that would work. But that's all I've got. Micah was in Baltimore and found in New York, where her great-grandfather migrated from the Middle East. He obviously couldn't get her on a plane, so he took her there instead. And that's exactly what he did with Jazmine," he concluded. "Her earliest ancestor who possessed magical powers was from Ireland, so he took her to where they migrated to."

"And that was New Orleans," Owen said. When Huey nodded an enlightened look passed over his features. "Ohhhhh."

"So they're in Louisiana," Denise mumbled. "Okay. I believe you. I really do." She made a face, giving Huey a look. "But hun, a good part of New Orleans, let alone all of Louisiana, is nothing but parishes and woods and swamps…how the hell are we supposed to know which part she's in?"

"By using _this_." Huey whipped Anya James' diary out of his jacket's pocket with a flourish. "She goes into a lot of detail about...well, everything. Even things I thought were pretty mundane, but now I'm glad she did that. Anyway, he's using the exact same cabin Jazmine's great-great grandmother from Ireland lived in. If there's any sort of luck on our side the scenery won't have changed _too _much over the past century."

"Wow." Denise let out a low, impressed whistle. "I guess those dreams you're having are legit since you _did _say they were in a different time zone."

Owen exhaled loudly, shaking his head.

"This is the weirdest case I've done in my life."

"As weird as this may sound, I've seen worse." Denise shook her head. "It's what made me become a secretary in the first place and retire from field work."

"What the hell could be worse than fictitious supernatural forces actually being real?" Huey asked, giving her a dumbfounded look. She shuddered, shaking her head.

"Coney Island, 2014." When both Owen and Huey continued to look confused she pouted. "No, I'm _not _going into detail."

"Well, we might as well sit down until our flight is…ready." Huey, Denise and Owen all froze in their tracks as Skyler Thompson walked towards them, a bag over his shoulder. Denise swore.

"We are _so _fired."

"Relax." Owen shrugged when the other two gave him looks. "I told him we were going."

"What?" Huey and Denise snapped in unison.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Huey nearly shouted.

"He's the main person we _didn't _want finding out about us going without using-" Denise started before Huey elbowed her; Skyler was obviously able to hear every word they were saying.

"Chill out." Owen shook his head as the three turned back towards the older man, who had stopped in front of them. "We couldn't just go without telling _anyone. _Besides, he doesn't care." When Skyler gave him a look he paused. "I mean…when we get back from this, we'll still have jobs, right?"

Skyler's eyebrow lifted. He evaluated them all for a moment that seemed to last for an hours. Then, he eyed Huey before opening his mouth.

"Under normal circumstances, you'd all be done for. I can't stress that point enough." He waited as Owen inhaled sharply, Denise winced and Huey rolled his eyes. "But…this is a special one. I believe going in with twenty men would be as dangerous as going in with four."

"What makes you think that?" Owen asked. Skyler glanced at him, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

"I have my ways of knowing." He glanced around. "I guess we have a longer wait than expected."

"Well, I _am _hungry," Owen said. Being the suck up that he was he clapped Skyler on the back. "Would you be interested in some food? I'll buy."

"_I'm _hungry," Denise interjected loudly, glaring at Owen. "Where's my free food offer?"

Huey ignored them; instead, his eyes fell on Skyler's right hand, which was clutching his briefcase. The gold ring that decorated his ring finger was nearly blinding in the bright light of the terminal. He narrowed his eyes, looking closer.

In the center of the ring was a septagram.

"Huey!" Denise bopped him upside the head; he rubbed it, glaring. "You hungry?"

"Um…yeah. Sure. Whatever." He reluctantly followed Owen and Denise, glancing at Skyler as he strolled beside him. When Skyler noticed the look he was receiving from the African American he offered him a smile.

"Don't worry, Mr. Freeman." He looked forward again. "I have a feeling everything will work out."

Huey eyed him. "If you don't mind me asking," he pressed before he could talk himself out of it, "what made you get that ring?"

Skyler glanced down at his hand, then back up. He smiled again.

"A family heirloom. Passed down for a good ten generations. Maybe more." He shrugged. "It's a very important symbol in my family. For my mother's half, at least."

It took all of Huey's energy to keep his jaw from dropping. Skyler stopped walking, giving him a look. Huey did the same.

"You seem to be good at keeping secrets." He rested his hand on his shoulder, his eyes kind and trusting. He gave him a wink. "I have faith that you can keep one more."

With that he dropped his hand and walked after the others, leaving Huey to stare after him. He shook his head, lifting his eyes to the ceiling.

"I just couldn't get a _normal _job, could I?" When no one answered (not that he was actually expecting one), he sighed and finally went to catch up with the others.

* * *

I feel weird about this one, but that's because when it comes to writing I'm all insecure like a chess team champion at a junior prom.

...I have no idea where that came from.

If you liked it, review! And if you hated it, review! And if you don't review...I mean, it's your life. I can't really do anything about it. Haha.

-Kelsey


	13. The Woods

Yay! It's almost done!

Thanks for the reviews, once again. I really do appreciate it, I'm just way too lazy to do the username thing today. Once again. Laziness is my specialty, I suppose. But yeah, I do plan on updating my other stories as well, it's just that this one was so close to being done it made no sense to just leave it. I'm trying. Lol.

So, I hope you like it. Blah blah, rabble rabble.

Disclaimer: O_o Ya'll should know by now.

* * *

The Woods

_May 21, 2016  
Woodcrest, Maryland_

"Do you think they'll find her?"

"Depends." Maya Johansen didn't even look up from the TV screen; Hiro sat beside her on the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a contemplative expression on his face. She continued to flip through channels, bored. "Would you like the optimistic version or the pessimistic one?"

Hiro eyed her. "You're about as optimistic as the grim reaper."

"Shut up." Maya still didn't tear her eyes away from the TV. "I hope they find her because she's nice and no one deserves to be murdered like this guy's been killing people. But…I mean if this dude's following a pattern like with the others there's what, three days left? Face it." She shrugged. "They haven't found any leads, at least according to every news station I've looked at, so it's looking pretty grim." She smacked the back of the remote with her hand, her brow furrowing. "Why the hell won't you work right? I've changed the batteries like three times-"

"Maya!" Her younger sister, Karinne Johansen, raced down the stairs, a deck of cards in her hand. "My, you won't believe what I found out-"

"Lord, Kat, are you still playing with those freak cards?" Maya sighed with exasperation, looking at Hiro. "She's been playing with those dorky tarot cards since she got them for her sixteenth birthday last year." Kat stopped at the bottom of the staircase, her gray eyes narrowed. "She suddenly thinks she's a prophet or some shit."

"I do not." The seventeen year old glared. "I just happen to use them and whatever I predict with them happens to occur."

"Whatever. It's called probability and statistics." Maya attempted to use the remote again, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "You know, it's like those morons who say they can see the dead or communicate with them and all that bullshit. You could easily do a cold reading on some random stranger and convince them of your abilities by using vague terminology and playing off their emotions. It's not difficult…goddammit!" She finally threw the remote across the room, throwing up her hands. "Can a bitch just watch _Animal Hoarders_? Is that really too much to ask?"

"Someone misses Japan," Hiro mumbled, smirking. Maya bopped him with a pillow.

"I don't even watch TV in Japan." She snorted. "When you work for the film industry your desire to watch regular sitcoms diminishes dramatically."

"My!" Kat snapped her fingers. "Yoo hoo!" When both Maya and Hiro finally looked at her she held up the cards. "Listen-"

"Get out of here, you raggedy chickenhead!" Maya hurled a pillow at the younger sibling; she yelped and flew back up the stairs. "Jesus _Christ_. Get me a plane ticket back to Tokyo _now_."

"You just got here!"

"And already I regret it." Maya sighed, massaging her temples. "Maryland is stupid."

"Wasn't stupid when you were living here," Hiro pointed out. Maya snorted.

"Yeah, it was. I just didn't have the means to leave." She dropped her feet on the coffee table, yawning and stretching. "And when I got those means, I left."

Hiro eyed her. "But was it worth it?"

She dropped her arms and turned towards him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…I don't know." Hiro shrugged. "You were just kind of the glue for your mom and your sister. And the whole Huey thing-"

"Okay, for one, I am not my sister's keeper. Or my mother. They hated me being here as much as I hated it, so that's just a logical fallacy on your part." Hiro rolled his eyes. "As for Freeman, he would've done the same thing if he were in my position. If anyone should understand me leaving it should be him."

"Well I'm so glad you thought all this out." Hiro's voice was full of sarcasm. Maya poked him.

"You left for California and abandoned me! How do you think _that _made me feel?"

"I didn't know that Maya Johansen felt anything." Hiro's tone made her frown. "That's a first."

"_Whoa_." She scooted away from him, giving him a wary look. "Don't do the passive thing. I hate the passive thing. What did I do _now_?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh, right." Maya laughed. "That's why you're treating me like I ran over your dog."

"I just wonder how it made sense to you," Hiro snapped, "to leave the way you did." Maya's eyes narrowed. "You didn't even tell me you were leaving! You didn't even _tell _me you were getting a divorce! You didn't say when you were going, you didn't bother saying goodbye…and now you're back and you just expect us to be best friends again?"

Maya blinked. She slowly shook her head.

"Where is all of this _coming _from?" She gaped at him. "We talk on the phone all the time when I'm in Japan! I've visited you in L.A. like, a million times! Of all the times you've had to catch feelings about the entire situation why is it just coming up _now_?"

"Because, Maya." Hiro sighed, gesturing to the TV, where the twelve o' clock news was silently playing. "This entire thing going on with Jazmine…life is short." She blinked again. "It's bullshit how short life is. You should know that being that your dad-"

"_Stop_," Maya said in such a hard tone that he clamped his mouth shut. She took a deep breath, as if trying to compose herself, before staring at him.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging with everything. I just…it was a bad time." She let out a low whistle, shaking her head. "It was a _really _bad time."

"Well, you should've let someone be there." Hiro gave her a look. "I'm pretty sure Huey would've accepted you leaving because you had to handle your dad's death and the job was a perfect way to start over. Just going 'I'm outta here, I don't care what you want, fuck you,' isn't always going to be translated into something different for you."

"I know." Maya sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest. "But at the same time I felt like I was doing him a favor." Hiro gave her a confused look. "Oh, come _on_. Hiro, if I was a man and I met a woman like me, I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole."

"Well, that's _your _self esteem issue," Hiro replied casually, making Maya's jaw drop. "Doesn't mean he didn't mind dealing with your crap. Obviously it didn't bother him too much since he _tried _to make it work-"

"I know. He did. And I'm a bitch." Maya shrugged. "It could've worked…but something tells me that it's alright that it didn't."

"Well, that's good." Hiro pat Maya's shoulder, shaking his head as he pushed off the couch. He went to retrieve the remote Maya had discarded. "This is what you do when you're tired of anything, isn't it? Throw it away."

"Not when I'm tired of it, just when it pisses me off. _Hey_," Maya suddenly said, as if remembering something. "You know who _did _really help me when my dad died?"

Hiro looked interested. "Who?"

"Jazmine." Hiro looked so shocked that she burst out laughing. "I know, right?"

"Wait…how did that happen?" Hiro snorted. "For one, you hated her. I didn't understand why, but you did."

"I didn't hate her." Maya flipped her hair. "I actually like her. Just…in doses. She's super sweet to the point where I feel like I'm getting a toothache being around her. Kinda like Kat's annoying ass-"

"Hey!" A shout came from up the stairs.

"Whatever, freak! Anyway," Maya went on, as if she hadn't just shouted at her younger sibling, "I never personally had anything against her. Oh, I _was _a huge bitch to her once though," she reminisced, snapping her fingers. "It was when she was tutoring Huey our junior year with math, and I got pissed off cause he would blow me off to go study. Which, that's no big deal, but when you're a crazy hormonal sixteen year old you see it as some hussy trying to scam on your man. I was already irritated since I'm horrible at math," she added. "So…I was kind of mean to her."

"Lord, Maya." Hiro lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "When are you _never _mean to someone?"

"I don't know, when the Lions are playing?"

"No, you're meaner, because if anyone says _one _word to interrupt the game-"

"Shut up!" Maya rolled her eyes. "I wasn't that mean. I just advised her to stay away from him."

Hiro blinked. "That's not "that mean" to you?"

"It's not mean for me; I'll put it that way." Maya clapped her hands, regaining his attention. "Okay, but that's not the point of Johansen story time!"

"Johansen story time!" Kat leaped down the stairs again, causing Maya to groan; she stopped, giving Maya a confused look. "Wait, wouldn't it still be Freeman story time? I mean, did you change your name back after the divorce or-"

"You of all people should know how I feel about women changing their surnames for some _man_." Maya snorted. "You know I never changed it."

"Okay, Johansen story time!" Hiro rolled his eyes; as much as he loved Maya, she got off track easily. "So, how was Jazmine your solace in your dark time after your father's death?"

"_Whoa_." Kat gave Maya a horrified look. "Your dad died?"

Hiro slowly looked at Maya, who shrugged.

"When you said you didn't tell anyone…you weren't kidding." Maya shook her head, shrugging.

"I _told _you no one knows outside you and Macy!"

"Goddamn, Maya Grace! Who doesn't tell anyone that their own father died?"

"It's not like he gave a shit about me, so what was the big deal?"

"Obviously it was since you had your little emotional breakdown. Which I would know more about if _someone _would tell me-"

"Alright, alright!" Maya took a deep breath before pointing towards the stairs. "And don't interrupt me, you runt."

Kat, for once, obliged.

"Okay, so I'm at the airport, right? I was on my way to Dubai for his funeral. I'd taken all my stuff here since, you know, Huey and I had literally _just _decided to divorce, so yeah. I was mad distressed. And my flight had the nerve to be cancelled because of some snowstorm bullshit in New York where we were supposed to layover, and the next flight wasn't until eleven the next morning. Only, due to the time difference between here and Dubai, the funeral would be over by the time I got there."

"Oh, damn." Hiro frowned.

"That sucks," Kat agreed. Maya cringed.

"This is why I don't tell people these things." She glared at them. "Sympathy is _awful_."

"It's not sympathy. It's empathy." Kat shrugged. "There's a difference."

"Sit down, slut. Anyway," Maya continued, ignoring the gasp that escaped Kat's mouth, "so I'm sitting in the airport terminal just crying my eyes out, and I'm trying to stay calm and rationalize things out and think of what I need to do, and I just _can't_. Like, my brain just was not working right. It was ridiculous."

"Yes, Maya." Hiro spoke as if she were a toddler. "That's called _grieving_."

"Well, whatever it is, I hate it." Maya rolled her eyes. "So yeah, that's going on, and I didn't want to come back here because there was no way I could pretend everything was okay, and I didn't want to go back to Huey cause-"

"-that would've involved being a bigger person?" Hiro supplied.

"-Because you're a punk?" Kat offered.

"No, and shut the hell up." Maya held up a hand. "Spare me, assholes."

"So Jazmine comes into this _how_?" Hiro asked, once again snickering at her lack of direction when it came to storytelling. She groaned.

"I was _getting _to that! Alright, so all that is going on, and I hear someone ask me if I'm okay. And I look up to say 'do I look okay you stupid asshole, fuck off' and it's Jazmine. And-" Maya looked pained, "-she looked so concerned that I started crying all over again."

"Cute."

"I know. I was a hot ass mess." Maya shrugged. "But yeah. She took me to a Starbucks which, I usually hate but at that point I didn't care, and she bought me a coffee. And she just let me cry." She couldn't help but smile, although it was faint. "That's something I _have _always liked about her. She doesn't try to prod in your business like a nosy ass bitch and force you to acknowledge shit. She doesn't press you. She just lets you cry." She sighed. "It's like she could tell that I didn't want to look weak or pathetic, so she just sat there so she could be there in case I did decide to talk to her. It was odd because that's something that Huey does so I cried a bit at that too, but whatever."

"Well, that was nice of her-" Hiro started until Maya was smacking his shoulder. "_Ow_!"

"I'm not done!" she snapped. Kat, who was sitting on the bottom step, waved her hand.

"Well, get _on _with it!"

"Stay over there, peasant." Maya smacked her lips before going on. "That's not the really nice part. The really nice part was that I ended up telling her what was going on. Well, not about the divorce, but about my dad and the whole flight situation. So, I guess I lied." She held up her fingers. "You, ma and Jazmine knew about my dad dying."

"I'm glad we have that all sorted out." When Maya glared at Hiro's comment he shrugged. "Go on."

"Right. So she was all sympathetic about it, which made me mad a bit, but then…she offered me her plane ticket."

Hiro blinked. Kat let out a low whistle.

"Who would give something that pricey to _your-_"

"Stop right there, troll," Maya shot towards the stairs before looking back at Hiro. "Right? I looked at her like she was nuts. But she was persistent about it. Something about her dad's frequent flyer miles, but whatever. She was very smart about it. She was on her way back to Miami because her winter break was halfway through and she said she was sick of Maryland, which I could relate to. She checked with one of the airline employees on when an international flight to Dubai would be leaving out of the airport in Miami, _if _one would be leaving, and by some miracle there was." She snorted. "So, she's the reason I even got to my dad's funeral."

"How benevolent of her. Cause I wouldn't have helped your ass." Kat stuck out her tongue. "You're a bitch."

"Yeah, and the sky is blue." Maya sighed, sinking back into the couch cushions. "But yeah. I was already stressed because I found out about his death two days before his funeral, and the time zone thing made it worse. But it worked out." She frowned. "That's why I really do hope she's okay. I mean, if something like that happened to me it would be like, 'oh, well that asshole had it coming'. But she's not like I am. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body."

"Maybe we should turn this," Hiro said, giving Maya a look; she looked like she was lost in her own thoughts. "We can't sit around watching it all day. We'll go crazy."

"I've been there." Maya shrugged. "Crazy's not such a bad place."

"Yeah…" Hiro's nose wrinkled. "Only a crazy person would say that."

"Shut up." Maya smirked, turning back towards the TV. Kat got up, disappearing around the corner into the kitchen. "Don't eat my Sun Chips, you freak bitch!"

"Whatever!" Kat shouted back.

"Like I was saying before though," Hiro said, regaining Maya's attention. "Life is short. And whenever something bad happens you can't just run away and try to start over. Life doesn't work that way."

"Mine does."

"For now. But it won't always." Hiro changed the channel. Maya looked up as she saw Kat bound around the corner.

"My," she said, taking a deep breath. "When is mom supposed to get off?"

"I don't know Macy's _life_." Maya snorted, snatching the remote away from Hiro and rolling her eyes. "Why?"

"She was going to let me use her car, since I knew you'd be a jerk and not let me use yours."

"Good thing I'm being a generous bitch today then, huh?" Maya reached in her pocket, tossing a set of keys through the air; Kat caught them, looking amazed. "Don't scratch my shit."

"I love you!" Kat squealed as she ran up the stairs. Maya gagged.

"_Gross_," she said, a disgusted look on her face. Hiro shook his head.

"You're really going to watch the news until this entire thing is over, aren't you?" Hiro asked. Maya nodded, never taking her eyes off the TV.

"You can go if you want." She shrugged. "I won't be much fun today."

Hiro shook his head, settling into the sofa as well. He couldn't help but be surprised.

"I didn't know you cared so much."

"And if you enjoy living, no one else will know either." She glared at him before her eyes were softening and she was staring back at the television. "I just have to see how it ends."

* * *

_New Orleans, Louisiana_

"Holy…fucking…shit." Owen swore as he, Huey, Denise and Skyler stared at the edge of the swamp. "That is a _lot _of fucking trees."

"You think?" Denise rolled her eyes. "We knew this was going to happen! We just have to hope this crusty thing can give us some clues." She eyed the diary Huey was reading warily. "It's like a morbid scavenger hunt."

"Well, standing outside of the swamp's not going to do much for us, you know," Huey pointed out. He felt his pocket vibrate and groaned, answering it without even looking at the screen. "_What_? Oh, hey Grandad." Owen snickered. "No, I'm not near the house right now. Actually, I'm kind of out of town." He paused, sighing and lifting his eyes to the highest treetops before shrugging. "I'm sorry Tom and Sarah won't stop blowing up your phone to ask if you've heard from me. No…yeah. Orange juice when I get back. Alright. _Yes,_ Grandad, by now I am fully aware that you prefer it pulp free! Tell Riley I hate him, too. Goodbye." He glared at Owen as he cackled. "At least someone cares about me enough to call me."

"Burn," Denise giggled. Owen smacked his lips.

"_Please_. He called you for orange juice. You can ask a waitress for orange juice and that don't mean you care about her."

"True," Denise pointed out. Huey eyed them before groaning.

"What is _wrong _with you two?"

"There's no need to be on edge," Skyler said casually, taking in everything with pensive blue eyes. "We have plenty of time to get what we need."

"What _I _need," Huey mumbled to himself, closing his eyes, "is a new partner."

"Hey, look!" Denise's voice, which was suspiciously far away, caused the men to look up. "There's a cemetery over here!" There was a pause. "And it's old as fuck!"

"Old enough to have been here in the eighteen hundreds?" Owen shouted back. There was another pause, before Denise's voice was floating over to them again.

"Yup!"

"Why are you two _shouting_?" Huey asked Owen as the three of them kicked through the nearly knee high grass. "You're not being very inconspicuous."

"Please. If this guy's gone this long without getting caught then he's not going to be this close to civilization." Owen pointed towards the road. "It's far, but it ain't _that _far."

"He does have a point," Skyler agreed.

"HA!" Owen pointed in Huey's face. "I'm _not _as stupid as you like to think I am!"

"But you _are _stupid enough to put your finger in my face. Don't do that." Huey pushed past him. "You're lucky I'm busy. Everybody gets one. That was yours."

"That diary mentioned a cemetery, right?" Denise asked once they were closer. Huey stopped, his eyes scanning it, before nodding.

"It does." He frowned, staring at the crumbling headstones. "But finding the right one to make sure this is it might be a bit difficult."

"I highly doubt there's eighty more cemeteries around here, Freeman." Owen spun around in a quick circle, tilting his head up towards the sun. "This is the place."

"You can't go off assumptions all the time, Mr. Sheldon," Skyler said, already maneuvering around the jagged markers, trying to make out the faded names on the stones. "It is best to check. Especially when, if the culprit is sticking to the original plan-" he checked his watch "-we have five hours."

"But it took us almost four to find _this _place!" Owen nearly whined.

"Well, some of that time was from us getting guns from Denise's shady ass hookup," Huey pointed out. Denise smacked her lips.

"You sho did grab them guns from that shady ass hookup quick tho!" she yelled over her shoulder. Huey shrugged.

"I said your hookup was shady. I didn't say I don't appreciate their selection of weapons."

Denise stopped at a headstone, her eyes narrowing. "Hmm…that's funny." She smirked. "Hey Freeman, you might have some family down here yourself." He gave her a funny look. "There's a headstone here with a dude named Matthew R. Freeman."

"Do you know how many Freemans there are in the United States?" Owen asked. He shook his head. "God, even this Freeman knows that-"

"This is the right one." Huey nodded, casting Owen a glare. "That's my great-great grandfather."

Owen blinked. "You're kidding."

Huey made a face. "Does it _sound _like I'm kidding?"

"Honestly, with you I can never tell." Owen shrugged, throwing up his hands. Denise was still reading. "Alright, so we found some decrepit cemetery. What now?"

Huey flipped through the diary, searching for certain pages he'd marked. "She talked about some trail that led straight from the cemetery to her mother's house. I remember that because she wondered how no one had found them when all they had to do was follow it." He looked around, sighing. "But the path's probably gone since it's been so long…"

"Yeah, I don't see one." Denise frowned. Owen shrugged.

"Guess it's time to go in, then." He looked up at the bright blue sky, exhaling dramatically. "It was nice knowing you, cruel world."

"Shut _up_," Denise snapped, elbowing him hard in his ribs; he grunted. She looked at the seemingly endless line of trees. "How do we know which way to go?"

"We don't." Owen shrugged again. "So we might as well just split up-"

"I am _not _gonna be in those woods on my own," Denise said in a horrified voice. "I _know _ya'll niggas seen _Scooby Doo_!"

Huey, Owen and Skyler exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

"Yes, Denise. We have indeed seen _Scooby Doo_." Huey sighed. "And?"

"And whenever they split up, they get into trouble!" Denise rolled her eyes.

"But they always solve the mystery and save the day," Owen pointed out. Skyler nodded.

"He is right."

Denise groaned. "The point is, if you all think I'm going in there by myself, you can kiss my whole asshole."

"I'll…pass." Huey rolled his eyes. "You can come with me if you're _that _worried about it."

"Oh, thank you!" Denise hugged him dramatically, causing him to stumble. "You _do _care!"

"Don't flatter yourself. I just want you to shut up so we can get this over with already." He pried her off his shoulders as gently as he could, exasperated. Skyler nodded.

"It most likely wouldn't be best for anyone to be alone. Mr. Sheldon, you come with me."

"Hey, this is kind of funny." Owen snickered when the other three gave him puzzled glances. "I mean, if you think about it…"

"What the _hell_," Huey snapped, "could you possibly find funny about this?"

"No, not _this_." Owen snorted. "I mean how we split up. It's like, the team of white people and the team of black-"

"Just stop," Skyler said in a deadpan voice, clapping Owen's shoulder. Huey and Denise blinked. "If you go further than that, I can't save you from their wrath."

"Oh, ha _ha_." Huey grabbed Denise's wrist and dragged her towards the woods as she glared at Owen; he had obviously ignored Owen's words. "Racism is a _hilarious _thing! You have such a good sense of humor! _L O L white people_!"

"Denise!" Huey turned around, flinging her arm away and glaring at her. "Really? _Really_?" She abruptly shut her mouth. "You think that what you're doing is necessary right now?"

Denise sighed, looking guilty. "Okay, my bad. Damn." They both stopped yards from the closest cluster of trees, peering in. They looked at each other.

"It's mad dark in there considering we still got some daylight left," Denise said, sounding nervous. Huey shrugged.

"It's just all the canopies of the treetops blocking most of the rays from-"

"Don't be a nerd right now, _please_." Denise held up her hand. He rolled his eyes, starting forward.

"Then don't start whining about a lack of sunlight. What?" he taunted when she glared at him. "You scared?"

"_No_," Denise snapped, stomping up to him and plucking him in the forehead. "God. Don't be a douchebag."

"See?" Huey gestured around them; Denise looked up with wide eyes when she realized they were already within the trees. "Not that bad, is it?"

"No, it's not." Denise pointed in the direction they'd come from. "Because I still know how to get _out_."

"You're acting like we don't have a GPS." Huey rolled his eyes, already continuing on his way. "Even if we get lost in here we can find our way out. Don't be a baby. We're not going to die."

Well at least she, Owen and Skyler weren't going to die. As for himself, however, he didn't know how much longer he was going to last. It wasn't even the other things that had been going on as much as it was his head. It seemed like the closer they'd gotten to Louisiana the more his headache had grown, finally throbbing to the point where it hurt just keeping his eyes open. At least the lack of sunlight helped that. He wasn't sure how Denise would feel if he suddenly dropped dead from an aneurysm, though.

"If Owen and Skyler went in that way and they're heading southwest, then we should probably go north," Denise suggested. Just as he was about to nod in agreement a particularly strong pang sliced through his head. He squeezed his eyes shut.

_They'd left her alone. It was as if they were so confident in themselves that they didn't feel like it was necessary to guard her. Almost like they were giving her a last day to herself._

_Good._

_She breathed in deeply, staring at the rope that was lying abandoned on the floor. She narrowed her eyes, inhaling sharply when the rope burst into flame. She looked at Angela Ragland, who sat beside her. The ghost smiled, nodding._

"_Perfect."_

"What?" Denise asked. He opened his eyes, taking a deep breath and looking around before staring at her.

"I am losing my mind."

"What? Why?" Denise started towards him. "I didn't know you had much of one to begin with-"

"No, I'm serious." He shook his head. "This entire vision thing is going to make my brain explode."

"What did you see?" Denise looked curious. "Was it something about Jazmine?"

"No, it was something about the plight of the manatee." He rolled his eyes; luckily, the headache was starting to fade. "Really, Denise?"

"Well." Denise watched him rub his head. "You don't have to be such an asshole about it."

"Whatever." He felt ridiculous talking about it. "Yes, it was about Jazmine. But nothing was happening. She was just sitting here."

"Alone?" Denise asked. When he nodded she threw up her hands. "And she's not making a break for it because…?"

"Because," Huey pointed out, "she obviously knows things that we don't, so she's waiting for the right time."

"The right time." Denise snorted, fumbling with one of her guns. Why anyone would entrust Denise with a gun he'd never know, but from what he'd heard she was a sharp shooter so he couldn't complain. "The right time to me seems like the moment I'm left alone. I'd dip out quick."

Huey rolled his eyes, both of them continuing to push through shrubbery and step over tree roots. Thinking about why Jazmine hadn't run yet made him remember the second murderer in this entire thing and he inwardly cringed, casting Denise a worried look. Should he warn her what they were up against?

On the other hand…could what they were up against handle a psycho Denise?

"This place is massive," Denise mumbled, shaking her head. Although she was talking normally her voice sounded like a whisper. "How the hell are we supposed to know where to look? Or how to get out once we find her?" She rolled her eyes. "We are going to fucking die in these woods messing around with you and your girlfriend-"

"She is _not_," Huey snapped, "my _girlfriend_!" He groaned. "Not you too!"

"Whatever. I'm only kidding." Denise snickered. "Why do you get so worked up about that?"

"Why is it," Huey replied, irritated, "that I'm the only one out of the three of us who can stay focused?"

"Focus on _what_?" Denise shrugged. "We're essentially lost in the middle of the woods. There's not much to focus on. Everything looks the same."

She did have a point. Huey stopped, looking around. Denise flopped down, checking her phone. He blinked.

"What…are you doing?"

"Checking my phone." Denise held it up, making a face. "Verizon better make my expensive ass phone bill worth it. Yup." She grinned. "I have a signal."

"Great!" Huey threw up his hands, his voice filled with mock happiness. "Can we _go _now? And I really would recommend not sitting down there," he advised. Denise stuck her tongue out.

"Why, cause it's dirty? You think since I'm a woman I'll be scared of a little bit of dirt on my…_ahhhh_!" she shrieked, jumping to her feet and scurrying towards him, frantically slapping at her legs with her hands. "Oh, my god! Did you see that goddamn spider?"

"See? I wasn't even going to say you were afraid of dirt." Huey smirked. "I was going to say you're afraid of bugs."

"Shut _up_." Denise smacked at her back once more before shoving past him. "Let's just find her so we can get out of here. My perm does _not _do humidity."

"You don't even like spiders." Huey shook his head, sighing in a sympathetic way. "I'd hate to see what you'd do if we ran into an alligator."

Denise froze in her tracks before whipping around, panic written all over her face.

"No one said _anything _about alligators!" she nearly yelled. Huey had to force himself not to laugh.

"Calm down. They typically don't even attack humans. We'll be fine." When Denise looked hesitant he waved his hand, turning away and continuing towards the hints of sun he could see emerging from the west. He heard Denise chase after him and then she was nearly knocking him over. "_What_?"

"Sorry." She shook her head. "I thought I saw a snake."

"Oh my…_woman_!" Huey groaned in frustration, spinning around. "Do you want to go wait in the car? Because you are _not _going to jump at every minor movement in this place. Okay?"

Denise looked past him, her eyes narrowing.

"Can I jump at that?"

Huey turned around. There was a figure standing a good twenty yards away, even though the thicket of trees between them made them appear further away. They blinked. Huey and Denise stared back. As he did so his head began to burn again and it took nearly everything he hand not to cry out.

"_How will I know if it works or not?"_

"_Trust me." Robyn evaluated her with a smirk. "I'm sure you've mastered harder."_

"We should kill them," Denise was hissing. Huey had to shake his head to get the pain to ebb away, focusing once again on the mysterious person.

"We can't just kill people on the spot. Wait." Huey scrunched his eyes in concentration before he was reaching for his gun. "Never mind. Actually, killing her is a good ass idea-"

Only on the word "idea" the figure suddenly vanished. Denise swore while Huey groaned.

"Who the hell was that?" Denise asked. Huey winced, turning towards her.

He might as well be honest.

"So." He gave her a look. "You know that witch I was telling you about? The one who's conspiring with Julius?" She nodded slowly. "Alright. Well. That was her."

Denise blinked. He watched her, waiting for her to start panicking. Sure enough-

"Oh, hell naw." She shook her head, turning around. "Nope. This is like Coney Island all _over _again-"

"What happened at Coney Island that left you _that _traumatized?" Huey asked. She held up a hand, breathing deeply.

"We don't talk about Coney Island. Ever." She shook her head. "How the hell do you think four humans or mortals or whatever the hell we are…what, muggles?"

"This isn't _Harry Potter_, Denise."

"Whatever! The point _is_, we ain't gonna be able to kill no witch!"

"_I don't know how useful it'll be to you." Micah shrugged, glancing at the woman, who gave her an appreciative look._

"_Thank you."_

"What are you _doing_?" Huey opened his eyes to see Denise giving him a baffled look. "Are you hugging a _tree_?" He looked down. Sure enough, he was clutching the tree as if there was no tomorrow.

Him and his goddamn head.

"…And if I am?"

"Freeman, stop." Denise yanked him by his shirt away from the tree with a surprising amount of strength, swatting him. "I'm serious! We're not going to be able to kill someone who can manipulate forces I didn't even know could be manipulated!"

"If we reach Jazmine in time," Huey pointed out, "she may be able to help us."

"Um, if _she's _a witch and she hasn't been able to escape," Denise pointed out, "what the hell makes you think _we'll _be able to get her?"

He couldn't believe he was saying it, however…

"Stop being so damn pessimistic. We'll be fine." His headache was flaring up again. "Well, ya'll will. I've accepted that I'm going to indeed die."

"_You're not going to die."_

The voice that nearly pierced his skull was enough to scare the shit out of him for two reasons. One, there was a voice that wasn't his subconscious in his head, sounding as if it were a person standing next to him.

And two…it sounded exactly like Jazmine.

He'd really appreciate it if people would just leave his mind alone.

"No one's dying. Damn." Denise pushed him forward, both of them resuming their trek through the woods.

* * *

_They were just being careless at this point. This was exactly why she'd never desired unlimited power. Power just made people crazy, and they got egos, and they started making mistakes._

_Hopefully, that wouldn't happen to her._

_She pretended to be asleep the few times he stuck his head in to make sure she was still there, not being able to keep from smirking at the wall when she heard him disappear again. He and the woman probably though that even off the sedatives she'd still be weak. That probably would've been the case…if it wasn't for the several ghosts of her former comrades who had come throughout the day to give her their powers._

_How funny. Her captor had gone into this entire thing striving for the very thing she was receiving. It wasn't even that fact that had her excited, though; she'd never wanted any more power than the ones she was born with. No, she was mainly happier at how she felt. It was as if she'd never been denied food, doped up on muscle relaxers and given essentially no sunlight in the first place._

_Not even that. She felt stronger than before the entire ordeal. She felt like she could lift a truck. A bus. A _tank_…_

'_No.' She forced herself to focus, reminding herself that she wasn't invincible. That attitude was what got people killed. That attitude was what made people like the woman do stupid things such as take her off sedatives. Not that she was complaining._

_It was also that same attitude that had gotten her taken in the first place. She'd broken away from home and had found herself around people who were like her, who understood her. She'd found someone who could teach her. She'd gotten stronger, and she'd felt unstoppable._

_She wouldn't make _that _mistake anymore._

_She knew the woman was out there somewhere, but it no longer fazed her. She'd expect her to be weak. Everyone always thought she was so goddamn weak. Shit, it would probably be that way for the rest of her life._

_The rest of her life. For the first time in weeks she was able to imagine a future for herself after this was over. She'd go home, see her family, get her diploma that she'd worked her ass off for…did these people trying to kill her know how much she'd sacrificed to be able to live a normal life and a witch's life at the same time? Did they even realize that she didn't even want to mess with anyone, that she just wanted to be able to grow old and be happy? And they had the nerve to try and take that possibility away from her?_

_Fuck that._

_The moon was high, but not high enough. She didn't need until midnight, but she'd need to get as close as possible to midnight to be able to hold her off. The man, he was of no concern to her now. It was just her that she was worried about. No matter how strong she was, the woman was centuries old. She had to be wiser, faster, and stronger. She'd need more than the moon to help her._

_The spell book? She glanced up at the table, frowning; it was gone. She sighed, glancing towards her left and jumping, letting out a tiny squeak._

"_Jesus Christ." She blinked at the ghost, making a face. "Matthew?" Sure enough, Matthew Freeman was staring down at her, his face showing that he had no idea what to make of the current situation he was witnessing. She hadn't seen him since she was sixteen! What was it, a phantom convention? "Do any of you _ever _pass on?"_

"_We pass on when it is time. And, at least for me, the time has not come." He blinked. "You look terrible."_

"_Oh, crap." Her voice was filled with sarcasm. "That sucks. I was trying so hard, too." _

_It didn't hurt to use her voice! She didn't feel exhausted just sitting up and tilting her head back to stare at the ghost! She'd get up and dance if she didn't want someone to spot her doing so. There was no way they were going to sedate her anymore. Matthew glanced around._

"_I had heard that you were in trouble. This, however-" he glanced around, his nose wrinkling, "-is abhorrent." _

"_But it's okay, because I'm getting out of here." She shook her head, sighing. "I just wish I knew my way around, or at least where I was."_

_Matthew stared at her. "You are serious?" She looked up; a look of disbelief sat on his features. "You cannot be."_

"_Well, I am." She shrugged. "I wouldn't still be here if I knew where I was, Matthew."_

"_Valid reasoning." He shrugged as well. "You have just always seemed perceptive to me. I thought you would have discovered why you were here by now."_

"_Because they're crazy, that's why." She snorted. "There's not much more to it I'm sure."_

"_There is always more to it." Matthew smirked. "It may just be simple to me, however, since it is what I grew up knowing." Her eyebrows drew together. "I would never forget where I am truly from."_

_He disappeared. Her eyes widened and she clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from shouting in excitement._

_She knew _exactly _where she was. She could feel the adrenaline building inside of her as a plan began to formulate in her head nearly effortlessly, as if the fragments of information were simply puzzle pieces that needed to be placed together. It was like they'd been there the entire time, waiting for her to make the connection._

_She flicked her hand, watching the glass shards from the evening before float towards the ceiling. She drew her fingers back so that they froze in midair before dropping her hand so that they clattered to the floor. She rolled over again to face the wall as she heard angry voices outside._

"_...no, you idiot!" The woman was snapping at him. "We can't just go ahead and get on with the ritual! It won't work before midnight! And there's no way they're not going to find us before then!"_

_What was she talking about? She cracked an eye open. Who was she so worried about?_

_She was _not _trying to have to avoid even more psychos._

"_I am not in the mood to have to cover up mortal deaths tonight!" she yelled. "And you'd better not be taking this lightly because you're the one who'll be executed, not me! I'll be long gone!"_

"_There's nothing to worry about." The man's voice was calm. "Everything will work out._

"_You'd better _hope _so," she nearly spat. "I'll be back." Her voice lowered. "Check on the witch. Don't let her out of your sight." There was a pause. "I might have to take back what I said about the sedatives. Do what you must."_

_Her eyes popped open at that one. Well, that was a good time as any. She waited until she heard his footsteps alone entering the room before sitting up, turning to face him and sighing. She stood up, shaking out her arms as he glared at her._

"_Wrong about the sedatives my ass." She threw up her hand so that he froze on the spot and started past him. When she saw what he was holding, however, she backtracked and smiled._

"_I need that, thanks." She tugged the spell book out of his stiff hands, tucking it under her arm and leaping over the steps, starting into the woods._

"_You're not going to die," she whispered to herself, repeating it in her head until she could make herself believe the words._

_She was going to get out of there, and those morons were going to be sorry that they'd ever even _thought _about killing her._

* * *

"Freeman's the one with the diary," Owen pointed out as he and Skyler pushed through the trees, both of them vaguely aware of how quickly the sun had dropped out of sight, how the woods were becoming even darker than they already had been. "How are we supposed to find her and he's the one with all the clues?"

"I have a feeling that we'll be fine." Skyler scanned the perimeter warily, his eyes narrowed. Owen, however, did not possess the same confidence.

"I don't know. We've been out here for at least an hour. I feel like we're walking in a circle."

Skyler nodded, stepping up to a particularly thick cluster of bushes and pushing through them. He blinked.

"Interesting."

"What?" Owen shoved the branches aside as well, stopping beside him. They were now in a circular clearing, Skyler gesturing towards the marsh that was in front of them. The water was murky and still. Skyler, however, was focused on what was reflecting in the still water.

"It seems to be a full moon tonight." He smiled, lifting his head to the sky. "Luck seems to be on our side."

"…You're worried about a _moon_." Owen's tone was flat. Skyler sighed, shaking his head.

"In due time, you will understand. But for now, let's keep looking." He paused. "I do have a feeling this place will be important, however."

"Why?" Owen asked. He shrugged.

"Call it intuition." He turned around, passing through the trees again. Owen followed him.

"Do you believe all this magic crap?" he asked, staring around. Skyler continued to stare straight ahead.

"I don't see why it's such an impossible concept, but I can understand the reluctance to believe in it," he said lightly. "Oh, look. A helper."

A woman was walking towards them, her eyes narrowed. Skyler sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I didn't think we'd run into her so soon," he mused. Owen took a step back.

"Who is that?"

"Oh, someone we don't have to worry about _yet_." As the woman walked closer he lifted one of his hands in a wave, nodding.

"Ah. Serenity. It's ironic," he said in a lower voice to Owen, still looking at her. "Her name is synonymous for tranquil, yet she's the most destructive witch I've ever met."

"You _met _her?" Owen gaped at him. Skyler laughed, as if he were in on a private joke.

"Something like that."

"Well." The woman, Serenity, stopped in front of them, her own hands in her pockets. Her eyes narrowed. "This is interesting."

"Very." Skyler nodded again. "How have you been?" She glared. "Is this the new form?" He made a face, shaking his head. "Doesn't suit you at all. Blond was much better."

"You stupid-" she started before he was holding up his hand. She stopped, her glare intensifying. His eyebrow rose.

"Don't do anything you might regret. Especially," he went on, nodding towards Owen, "in front of the mortal."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "You two aren't the mortals I saw earlier."

"There's more of them around?" Skyler looked around, appearing amazed. "Interesting."

"Don't play stupid, Skyler." Serenity looked disgusted. "Even I can admit that stupidity has never been a word to describe you."

"I'm glad we can agree on such a fact." Skyler gestured to Owen, who gaped at him. "Serenity, this is Owen. Owen, this is Serenity." He turned back towards the furious woman. "She's going to be aiding us with finding Ms. Dubois tonight."

"You're crazy if you think I'd help _you_," she spat, casting a look of disdain towards Owen. "I don't act reckless and expose myself in front of mortals like you apparently do. At least," she added casually, "not mortals I don't plan on killing."

"Oh, my god." Owen looked ready to pass out. "You don't have to show me _anything_. Trust me."

"Shut up!" Serenity yelled. Skyler sighed.

"There's no reason to yell at him." He looked amused. "How funny. You used to be so concerned with concealing yourself from mortals."

"Exposure means _nothing_ to me at this point!" Serenity snapped. "In just a few hours I'll have a new body and once again, no one will know who I am."

Skyler sighed again, shaking his head. "Just let the girl go." Her eyes widened. "She'll kill you, you know."

"_What_?" Serenity burst out laughing. "That half witch half _bitch _is going to kill _me_? Surely you haven't become that naïve since we dated."

"_Whoa_." Owen took a step back, his face deathly pale. "You two _dated_?"

"For a short period," Skyler said casually. He looked back at her. "It was before I learned her true nature."

"And before I learned what a coward he is." Serenity sighed. "And now, you're dead."

She lifted her hand; Owen let out a high pitched scream but Skyler was tugging him behind him so that the bright blue energy blast she'd thrown flew straight towards him…however, before it could hit him it was striking some invisible wall, dissipating as quickly as it had been thrown. Serenity dropped her hand, screaming.

"You and your goddamn shield!"

"Let her _go_, Serenity." Skyler's blue eyes hardened. "Because if she doesn't succeed in killing you, I will."

Serenity shook her head, holding up her hands. She smirked.

"Let the games begin then, witch." And with that, she vanished.

Skyler dusted himself off, glancing behind him. "Alright there, Sheldon?" He blinked before sighing once again and shaking his head.

"You don't have to _cry_, Owen."

"I feel like my entire life is a _lie_!" Owen squeaked from where he was lying curled up on the ground in the fetal position. He was hyperventilating, his gun beside him. Skyler stared at him, trying to decide if he should feel bad or laugh.

He did both.

"You can get up now. She's gone." He watched him slowly sit up. "That wasn't the most masculine of reactions to this entire thing."

"I can't help it." Owen shivered. "I've always had this…_phobia _of there being people you couldn't see, or ghosts, and it's actually _real_." He snorted, shaking his head. "Ain't this a bitch?"

"Well, don't worry. We'll be done soon." Skyler frowned. "We're going to have to find Ms. Dubois quickly though. I have a feeling Serenity's not too pleased that people are looking for her."

"How do I know you're not on that woman's side?" Owen said, taking a step back. Skyler rolled his eyes. "I mean, you're both…" His words trailed off and Skyler blinked.

"Witches."

"Yeah. Those." Owen shrugged. "How do I know you're not evil? In fact, how do I know that this Jazmine woman isn't evil, too? From what I've heard all you guys do is kill each other anyway!"

"That is _not _all we…oh, good lord." Owen had taken off in the trees, disappearing in the darkness within seconds. Skyler groaned.

"You're going to get yourself killed, you big idiot." He shrugged, shaking his head and continuing on his way. Owen would be fine on Serenity's part; despite what she said, she rarely killed mortals who weren't involved in her plan. It was, as she would put it, "less of a cleanup". He was just considering changing directions when he heard panting, followed by Owen stopping beside him. He rested his hands on his knees, taking deep, full breaths.

"Alright. I got _that _out my system…" He straightened, looking at Skyler's surprised, yet amused, expression. "What?"

"What was _that _about?"

Owen shrugged, cringing. "I don't know my way out of here, and I remembered that. So I figured that I'd believe you're not going to kill me and just stick with you." When Skyler continued to stare at him as if he were trying not to burst out laughing he snapped his fingers. "C'mon, son! We've got a witch to find!"

"Believe it or not," Skyler responded, deciding against continuing to discuss Owen's mini episode, "our search may almost be over." He looked up, nudging Owen. "You see that?"

Owen stared up as well, his eyes narrowing. The sky was now a dark blue so close to black it was nearly impossible to tell the difference. Stars were dotting the darkness like freckles…

…and a thick cloud of smoke was rising somewhere out of the trees. From the looks of it, it wasn't too far.

"Well." Owen followed Skyler as they quickly stumbled through the trees towards the source. "I guess we're about to find out."

* * *

Serenity burst into the cabin, her eyes narrowed as she stared around the darkness. When she realized that her hostage was gone she groaned, turning towards Julius.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" she snapped. When he didn't reply or even turn to acknowledge her she blinked, noticing that his hands were at an odd angle, as if they were holding something. He wasn't even blinking.

"Julius!" she snapped her fingers. When he still didn't move she yelled, kicking the lone chair by the desk. "Goddamn it!"

"What are you doing…wait." He blinked, nearly falling forward. "Where did she go?"

"_What_?" Serenity's voice was nearly a growl. "You let her _go_?"

"I…I don't know what happened." Julius looked perplexed. "I was just coming to sedate her because you just told me that I probably should. I come in and she got up and…" He rubbed his head. "I don't know how she got past me-"

"She froze you." Serenity closed her eyes pinching the bridge of her nose. "She fucking froze you!" She threw up her hands. "She's not supposed to be able to do that! She's a telekinetic! That's the only active power she should have!"

"Well…" Julius's voice was timid. "You can just do that seeker thing to trace her, can't you?" He could tell his suggestion was the wrong thing to say since Serenity rounded on him, her eyes blazing.

"She's only twenty one!" she screamed in his face. "She hasn't reached the age of conscience! She can't be traced!"

"She can't have gotten far-" Julius tried, but she was laughing.

"Oh, well, she can't freeze time either. Oh, wait!" She stormed out, staring around. "She _can_! You can do whatever you put your pretty little head to, can't you?" she screamed into the air, the sound so piercing a flock of crows flew from out of the treetops. "It doesn't matter because I'm _still _gonna KILL YOU!"

Her scream echoed through the clearing. She spun around, grabbing Julian by his collar.

"You'd better hope I find her," she growled, her grip tightening; his eyes widened. "Because I can make you see your sister _real _soon. But it won't be in the way you imagined." She shoved him away, letting out one last angry yell before disappearing.

* * *

Jazmine looked up as she heard a high pitched wail from the direction she'd just come from. She groaned, spinning around in a circle.

Well. _Someone _wasn't happy with her absence.

Hide. No, don't hide. Run. But run where?

She needed to find the cemetery her great-great grandmother was buried in. It was one of the few spells she remembered from her days in Miami, one that Lydia had taught her. She didn't remember which direction it was in, though. If only she had Anya's diary…she walked a few steps forward before stumbling; she regained her balance and strained her eyes, crouching down and picking up a book. She shifted the spell book to her other arm, opening it. Her eyes widened.

Anya James' Diary.

"What…the _hell_."

She wasn't even going to try to think of how that had even gotten there. So many weird things happened when magic was involved that to try and rationalize it would make someone crazy. She took off running again.

As long as she didn't stop running, the woman wouldn't be able to track her down.

At least, she hoped not.

* * *

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"That scream." Huey gave Denise a look. "Oh, come on! It was loud as hell!" He suddenly reached into his pockets, groaning. "I dropped the diary!"

"Oh, my god." Denise sighed. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, I'm pretty serious."

"When'd you drop it?"

"Oh, I don't know, somewhere between that one tree and that other _rock_." He closed his eyes. "I don't even know what _time _it is!"

"At least I have service!" Denise chirped brightly, staring down at her screen. "It is…ten fourteen."

"Goddamn! We've been out here for three _hours_?"

"I guess time goes by fast when everything looks the damn same." Denise pressed a button, putting the phone up to her ear. "I'm calling Owen to see where his ass is."

"I'm pretty sure if they found anything we would've known about it by now-" Huey started before he heard a rustling. "Wait. Don't say anything."

"What?"

"What part of don't say anything do you not understand?"

"Sorry." Denise held up her hands when Huey glared at her. He pointed towards the bush that he'd heard the sound emerge from, creeping towards it and nodding towards Denise. She nodded, giving him thumbs up and following him towards the dark leaves as she lifted her gun. Just as Huey was about to pry the leaves apart-

_Bang!_

"What the hell was that?" Denise yelled, whipping around. Huey did the same.

"It sounded like a gun." He and Denise exchanged looks before they were both running through the trees towards the sound. They'd been so distracted that they didn't see Jazmine quickly scramble out the bush, exhaling with relief.

"Thank _god_," she mumbled, turning around and continuing in the opposite direction, relieved that she'd managed to escape her captors at least for a while longer.

It was weird, though. For a moment, they'd sounded like completely different people.

* * *

I should be updating again sometime this week since the next chapter's already around halfway done. Wooooo!

Thanks for reading! And...I can't think of anything else so say, so I guess I'm done now. ;)

-Kelsey


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